


Darkened Rage

by Kirabaros



Series: Chronicles of Absolution Season 1 [4]
Category: Chronicles of Absolution, Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-14 14:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 76,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14138187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirabaros/pseuds/Kirabaros
Summary: 1.04. Trouble is brewing in Hudson, Wyoming. Yellow Eyes is on the move and people are killing each other in fits of rage. The Winchesters investigate only to find that the fragile bonds formed are in danger of being broken.





	1. Chapter 1

_Then_

… She smiled at the memory of when the goddess gave the amulet to her as a reward citing that she was a beloved daughter. It was a comforting thought but not enough to erase the debt that she needed to pay back…

… “Great. We have to babysit humans who think waving a big gun makes them a hunter. Why couldn’t it be someone from the clans?” Angela made her displeasure with mortal hunters clear. She had to deal with them constantly and it left little to be desired regarding any positive impression.

“They are of the clans, just a very distant branch,” Brendan replied. _Here comes the bombshell._ “They are the Winchesters.”…

… Lenya then got hostile and her voice took a deep overtone, “You aren’t in a position to make threats bitch. You can try and protect them but in the end, Sam Winchester will be ours.” She was then gone leaving Angela on the empty street…

… “Because I merely give a nudge in the right direction to the players.” Lenya blew on her nails and buffered them against her coat. “You are one of the players. Always have been since your time with Daddy.”…

… “There is a champion and it is already there.”…

… Keep fighting and maybe you can forgive yourself…

… You do have the choice to tell them but be aware that such revelations always have consequences that are not always foreseen. The Apkallu stared at Angela. “You cannot deny that which is within you, what you were born with…”

… The Guardian looked at her for a moment and then grasped her wrist and gave a shake. He then said something in Sumerian in a whisper before turning and crossing the barriers…

… They left the stadium and headed towards the Impala. Suddenly Angela said, “You know John said you were good boys and I believed him.”

Christian sighed. There was no going back now. He said, “A demon is starting trouble in Wyoming.” He saw the expectant look on Angela’s face. He knew she wasn’t going to like it. He added, “It is Lenya…”

_Now_

The town of Hudson, Wyoming looked sleepy as Natalia Abeyta walked down the main street towards her car. She was on a nightly run to the store picking up some milk since the house was out and the baby needed milk and diapers. She got her purchases and paused to talk to old Mrs. Ferguson at the cashier. That lady was a lifesaver when it came to child care and Natalia was grateful for any information that the old lady could offer.

“Now the best way to keep those congested lungs clear is to use a humidifier. Sometimes a wet cloth helps.” The old lady was bagging the groceries for Natalia.

“I’ll try it, Mrs. Ferguson. At this point I am desperate for a means of battling the congestion. The antibiotics the doctor gave me just don’t seem to cut it.” Natalia was getting some cash out of her purse. She sighed, “Oh Jake is getting so big. He’s already getting into things.”

Mrs. Ferguson laughed, “They do that honey. Now I threw in a little something for that boy of yours.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Natalia protested.

“I wanted to.” Mrs. Ferguson smiled as she took Natalia’s money and gave her the change.

Suddenly the door opened and Mr. Hartshorne came walking in. To Natalia that man looked agitated but then again the problems that man had been having lately. He deserved a kind word every now and then. She said, “Good evening Mr. Hartshorne. How are things?”

Mr. Hartshorne muttered something and walked into the store. He seemed to be searching for something. Natalia gave a concerned look at Mrs. Ferguson. That old lady just gave a shake of her head and shooed her out saying, “Oh don’t worry about it. Now you get on home to that boy of yours and try that remedy.”

Natalia gave a nod as she picked up her bag of groceries and walked towards the door. She looked at Mr. Hartshorne as he wandered down the aisles searching for something and then back at Mrs. Ferguson. She gave the old lady a smile and left the store. She could hear Mrs. Ferguson’s voice saying, “Now you old rascal what can I help you with?”

The next thing that Natalia heard was the old lady asking what Mr. Hartshorne was doing. Natalia turned to see a spray of blood streak across the glass windows of the store. Natalia dropped her groceries and ran into the store. When she got inside, she saw Mr. Hartshorne swinging something like a bat and he was beating the old lady to death. The blood was spraying everywhere. She screamed and ran outside calling for help.

****

Dean stood in the bathroom brushing his teeth as usual. He glanced at his brother Sam who was surprisingly still asleep. Then again after what he heard last night, it wasn’t surprising. It had been nearly, what, three weeks since he had a nightmare? Dean had traveled with his brother long enough to know when his brother was having trouble sleeping. He wondered if it was about his girlfriend Jessica or one of those visions linked to his psychic abilities. Or it could be the usual, clowns or midgets.

Dean finished brushing his teeth and started his gargling. He was right in the middle of it when he heard his brother groan indicating her was awake. Dean spit out the mouthwash and said, “Rise and shine Sammy.”

Sam sat up in bed and rubbed his face with his hand giving a slight grunt. “What time is it?”

 “Time for you to stop being a Sleeping Beauty.”

Sam managed a tired scowl. “Jerk.”

“Bitch. Come on I saved the hot water just for you,” Dean replied as he came out of the bathroom. “Take your bubble bath and I’ll go see if Angie got any coffee.”

“I don’t think she’ll be up,” Sam muttered as he picked through his duffle for the clothes he wanted to wear. He frowned as he searched still feeling a bit tired. That could be easily explained by what happened the night before but he was hardly in the mood to discuss it with Dean and he seriously doubted Angela would want to talk about it. He was musing through his thoughts when all of a sudden something hit him on the back of his head. He looked to find that it was a crumpled ball of paper. He turned to find Dean looking at him with a look of concern. Sam did what he usually did, back into a corner and wait for the opportunity to clam up. “What?’

“Had a nightmare?”

Sam raised his brow. Dean was getting right down to brass tacks this morning. Usually Dean would manipulate the situation to give half a dozen chances for him to open up until he finally gave up and asked straight out. He replied, “No idea.” He finished picking his clothes and started towards the bathroom.

“Sam.”

Sam chose to ignore Dean and went into the bathroom and shut the door. He could hear his brother grumbling through the door and knew he was going to pay for it later. Thing was he needed to think it through and in order to do that he didn’t need Dean hovering over him and asking questions. The fact that he did the same to Dean never entered his mind. He turned on the water to the shower and stepped in and let the hot water cascade over his body. He pressed his forehead to the tiled wall of the shower stall and he allowed his mind to think about what he dreamt about.

_It was like the other nightmares. Sam walked into the bedroom, glad to be home and looking forward to the interview for law school. He flopped on the bed and closed his eyes. It was then he felt the drips of blood. Sam looked up and he saw her on the ceiling, a bloody hole in her middle and then the flames came._

_He woke up and found himself in the middle of a cabin. It was ramshackle and half completed but that didn’t matter for the purpose it was serving. Sam looked around and saw a familiar shape tied to a chair in a dark corner. Her head was down and she wasn’t moving. Sam tried to move forward but as soon as he took a step, he was stopped._

_Sam was no longer in the cabin. Instead he was in the Impala. Dean was sitting next to him and Dean’s Zeppelin album was playing with the volume cranked up. They were on some nondescript highway. Sam looked forward and there she was sitting tied to the chair. She was looking at them as the headlights lit up her face and accentuated the bruises. Sam screamed at Dean to stop but Dean kept on driving._

_Sam was back in the cabin and someone was laughing. He turned to see a strange man in a black suit just smiling and laughing at him. Sam thought the guy looked like one of those dick bodyguard types but that was the least of his concern. He looked around trying to find her. He thought he saw her sitting in the chair but all he got was from the suit looking at him and he said, “Interesting. My talents may be wasted on you Sam Winchester.”_

_“You know who I am?”_

_“Who doesn’t?” Suit just shrugged his shoulders. He got close to Sam and started inspecting but not touching. “Hmm definitely a good one.”_

_“What do you want?”_

_“To observe Sammy. Surely you must know by now that you’re special,” a new voice entered. The owner entered to reveal the yellow eyed demon and he was holding to a woman with dark hair but it was covering her face. “And of course this is a test for another one of my favorites.”_

_Sam looked at the woman and then found himself in an empty room. A fair distance away was the familiar silhouette sitting in the chair. The chair was in the center of a ring of light. The back was facing Sam. He could hear a question but it was distorted. He heard her response and tried to get to the chair. Suddenly there was a flash of silver and he saw something protruding from the back…_

Sam felt the water start to cool as he finished his shower. The nightmare had him wake up around three in the morning. He wasn’t able to go back to sleep until closer to six and that was after a walk around the motel. In his excursion he saw Angela out in the grassy field performing some sort of martial arts thing that she did. When he came back from his walk she was still at it or rather just finishing it and starting to walk back to the motel. He left her alone and went back to the room.

“Sammy? You drown yourself in there?”

Sam jumped slightly at his brother’s voice and shut the water off. He replied, “I’m fine, Dean.”

“I’m going to grab some coffee and a paper. You want anything?”

“Whatever.”

Sam didn’t hear his brother’s reply as he started drying off and getting dressed. At the moment his thoughts were in a jumble. He couldn’t tell if he was having a vision or if the yellow-eyed demon was trying to make his life miserable by being in his dreams. He did say it was a test but for whom? He also wanted to know why she was in his nightmare and why didn’t Dean hear him? He stumbled through the whole morning routine not paying much attention to anything.

****

Dean was willing to be patient with his brother. He was almost certain that the kid had a nightmare but he wasn’t talking. Dean figured that it must have been that bad if Sam was walking and talking like the living dead. He let the ignoring go by since he wanted to get as much information as possible before grilling his brother. He briefly toyed with the idea of getting Angela on board to talk to him since he noticed that whenever the two of them talked, Sam would get a few more nights of good sleep. The same went for him.

Once Sam was in the shower, he went to see if Angela was up yet. He knocked on the door. “Angie you up?”

There was no response. Dean tried again to make sure but when she didn’t respond, he figured that she may be out on a coffee run or something. The last few days had been rather strange. She would not show up for meals or rather late for them and when they were in the car, she was always looking out the window as if she expected something to show up. He wanted to ask but he figured that she needed a cool down period after the jokes about her being drunk when they left Grant.

Dean tried peering in the window since he noticed a slit in the curtain. The room was dark and there seemed to be nobody in. He gave up presently and went to grab coffee for him and Sam. The coffee and the paper were easy to get. Dean even managed to charm doughnuts out of the girl at the counter. At the last minute he ordered one more coffee just in case Angela showed up from whatever she was doing. He arrived to find that Sam was just finishing and was exiting the bathroom with his toothbrush. “So you awake now Sleeping Beauty?”

“Bite me, jerk,” Sam replied as he put his stuff away.

“At least you’re in a better mood than when I left,” Dean replied as he took a gulp of his coffee. “So you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what, Dean?” Sam picked up a cup from the carrier and took a sip.

Drinking coffee black was a form of habit. Cream and sugar, Dean called it being a pansy and even more so if Sam happened to order a nonfat latte on occasion. Since they started hunting together it became something more of a brotherly bonding thing between Sam and Dean. Sam drank his coffee and noted that it was pretty strong but didn’t say anything except give a slight frown.

Dean knew that Sam was being deliberately evasive. He could tell that whatever it was really bothered his brother and if Dean wanted to admit it, it hurt him. It was like Sam getting picked on by bullies and Dean wasn’t there to help him get out of it. He was going to get to the bottom of this. “You know what I mean Sam. You had another nightmare.”

“Yeah I did Dean but what do you want me to say?” Sam looked at his brother with a look that told him to back off. Not that Dean was going to listen to that. “I had a nightmare and it was the same thing. Jess dying.”

Dean gave a look like he was hurt by what Sam said but he wasn’t fooled. “Fine, be that way Sam.” He turned to look at the paper he bought while giving an injured look. Rather it came off as a pout that worked much like Sam’s puppy dog eyes.

Sam knew this tactic and he fell for it. “Dean, it was the same thing as before. It just caught me off guard.”

“Whatever you say, Sammy,” Dean replied in a manner that could have been interpreted that he didn’t give a damn at the moment. In truth he did but he was hoping this tactic would get Sam to open up. He didn’t look at his brother but instead continued to read the paper looking for a possible job.

Sam was agitated with Dean and decided not to play this game anymore. He replied, “Fine. I’m going out for a walk.”

“Why don’t you look for Angie while you’re at it?”

The door of the motel closed leaving Dean feeling like a total ass.

****

The view of the motel was a good one. All the possible exits were visible. Several meat suits were wandering about the parking lot with some minding their own business and some were being busybodies. What was interesting was the tall meat suit that walked out of the room that was the furthest from the main office.

The blonde woman who was watching looked on with piqued interest all the while her complain stood looking bored at the whole thing. He asked, “Are we done here? I feel the mayhem dying down and I want to stir it up again.”

The woman replied, “All in good time. Uncle Azazel wanted us to check on one of his special kids.”

“It’s always about the kids,” the man replied as he adjusted his sunglasses. “What is so special about this one?”

The woman laughed. The lesser demons and the specialty ones were only concerned about themselves and the little corners of the world they decided to set up shop in. They lost sight of the big plan that they all had a part to play in. She understood it well and she was doing her part to set things up as Uncle Azazel wanted them to be. Plus it was a bonus to get back at the ones who killed her favorite cousins. She replied, “It’s because Sam Winchester travels with the one Daddy had so much fun with.”

“The Chaser bitch?”

The woman gave a slight giggle. It sounded like it was a little girl giggling. She replied, “Yes.”

The man growled slightly. If his sunglasses were off, one could see the change in his eyes that indicated what he was. “Almost everyone up the chain wants a piece of her.” The man watched as Sam Winchester started walking in no particular direction. “It seems that what I was told to do last night has taken some effect but I sense it’s going to take a lot more or someone more susceptible to my work.”

“That’s what Uncle Azazel wanted to make sure of. Sammy there is immune to the virus and he wants to make sure that your influence does not affect him.” The woman twirled one of her locks as she watched the younger Winchester walk away. She then noticed that the elder came out and looked in the direction of his brother before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. That raised some interesting questions and maybe they would be able to have a candidate for the test that Uncle Azazel wanted to perform.

The man saw the same thing. Certain influences required a certain mindset. If he was to succeed in setting this up, he needed someone who already had what he needed festering inside. It was his specialty after all. He had an idea and he asked, “The bitch has one weak spot doesn’t she?”

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a weak spot but if you are referring to the Winchesters, then yes. She cares for them both more than she lets on and it has less to do with some promise she made to their father.” The woman then turned to look at the man. “Why, do you have something in mind?”

The man looked at her with a grin. “I know that Azazel wants me to test Sammy boy’s resilience but doesn’t he want her to ‘toughen’ up a little? Remember the good ole days?”

The woman had an idea of where this was going. Even though she was under orders to push little sister in the right direction that was a part of the plan, she was given some leeway to have fun with her. After all little sister had to be reminded of the good timed they had all those years ago. What was even more interesting was that little sister hadn’t even told the Winchesters about those times. She was sure that they were suspicious by now. “I do remember. Daddy and I had such fun teaching her.”

The man grinned. “What would you say we have a little fun? I think I have the perfect candidate. It will really teach the bitch the meaning of betrayal.”

The woman looked out. She saw that Sam had found little sister finally. The woman knew that there were some things that were supposed to happen but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun with it. She nodded, “I am up for a little fun with little sister. I assume that you want it to happen in your neck of the woods?”

The man nodded as he adjusted his glasses. He saw the elder Winchester head back to the motel. He noted the disappointed look that flashed briefly on his face. “Of course. What I need you to do is to make sure that they find their way there. Do whatever you need to do to make sure they get to my domain.”

“Oh I can take care of that. Little sister is already onto us since those Centurion fools found out that we’re stepping up with the plan. Fortunately for us she has no clue of where to look nor have any idea what Uncle Azazel is planning. If she did, she would want to stop it before Sam could get involved.”

“Selfless martyr… and a bitch,” the man replied. “Well I’ll leave it to you to decide but I’ll drop a suggestion: Convince the Winchesters that it is someone that they trust telling them to go.”

The woman smiled, “Oh I knew Uncle Azazel was right in including you in this little test. You will make this game interesting.” She gave another one of her giggles. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I will have them in your territory.”

The man gave a nod. He could always count on her. Also he was a little bit afraid of her father and Azazel. He was willing to go along with anything they wanted as long as he was left to his own little corner of the world. He had earned it after all. His siblings had to wander about and take orders from those like him. Of course he was doing the same thing but that was the chain of command. Azazel and the woman and her father were above his pay grade so he had little choice but to obey… unless he wanted to be sent back to the pit after burning him out of his meat suit.

Suddenly a beeping sound came. The man checked his watch. The liquid inside swirled and he listened to the sounds it made. He gave a slight frown but it turned into a smile. He said to the woman, “Well it appears I have to get back to my day job. Gotta keep those emotions running high.”

“Try not to kill off the whole town while you’re at it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides like the other times, it takes a hunter and them thinking that they stop an angry spirit or a witch or even one of those lower class demons.” The man brushed off his suit as if to say he was better than that. Of course he was. He knew the power of self-control. “You have it covered here?”

The woman smiled, “Of course I do. Stir up little sister, get them to the meeting place and of course let Uncle Azazel know of the plan.”

“Shall I do that?”

“No I will,” the woman replied. She turned to watch the motel as well as Sam talking to little sister. She didn’t bother to acknowledge when the man left. He had his job and she had hers. _Let the test begin._


	2. Chapter 2

Angela stood at a beginning, relaxed posture. In each of her hands, she held two short sticks. They were roughly the same size and weight of the weapons she currently had stashed in her bag but it would hardly do to have them out in the open here. People tended to think you were crazy enough if you happened to wave a shotgun in public even though someone was shooting at you. Plus they would think that someone was shooting a martial arts film or something. Still she needed to do something.

Actually she had needed to do something ever since she woke up from that dream she had the night before. She was sure that it wasn’t completely a dream walking experience. She knew what it was like even though it was hard to tell the difference. What was disturbing was what was in it.

_Angela was wandering through a seemingly empty house. She was searching for something but at the moment she couldn’t tell what. She wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen. She saw something and started towards it but something hit her on the back of the head and hard. She saw black._

_She found herself tied to a chair and someone was sitting in front of her. The guy was wearing a suit like the kind she had seen hot shot lawyers wear. She glared at him and suddenly his eyes flickered. The bastard was a demon. All he said was, “You’re in over your head. Here there are memories that’ll haunt you._

Angela had woken up and found that she had been gripping Absolution by the handle. Releasing her hand, she found that she had been gripping so tight that it numbed her fingers. As much as she could tell herself that it was only a dream, she knew that it was more than that. What that was she could only guess at the moment. She dragged herself out of bed and pulled on the hoodie Sam had given her and went for a walk until she found the field. She changed her mind and decided upon something else to calm her thoughts.

She had been there ever since and she still felt the need to stay. She could feel the tiredness creeping in on her but her mind was active. Aside from the dream, her thoughts had been occupied by what she had found out the night before they had left Grant.

Angela looked around and fingered her ear to make sure the earpiece was still in her ear. She clicked on the wheel of the portable digital music player she acquired a year or so ago. She couldn’t remember since it was more of a means of having some form of entertainment or other. The song she wanted came on and she got ready for what she wanted to do. She heard the first few bars and she felt her muscles twitch getting ready to move in time to the music. She remembered the first time she did this only it was to minstrel music and her father was rather entertained by it.

Angela brought up the sticks in her hands and started moving to the beat. She started in a kata like form and let her feet move. She listened to the music and her body made the movements like it was second nature. It freed her mind to think through other things. She twirled the sticks in her hands and pretended to strike an enemy.

_Christian sighed. There was no going back now. He said, “A demon is starting trouble in Wyoming.” He saw the expectant look on Angela’s face. He knew she wasn’t going to like it. He added, “It is Lenya…”_

_Angela looked at the vampire unaware she had pulled the hoodie around her tighter. She replied, “What is the hell bitch up to?”_

_Christian looked at her with a knowing look. “You know how it is with this one… and with the Council. They record and observe but never interfere and she seems to do things just for you.” Christian looked at her as if trying to discern what it was about Angela that attracted the attention of this demon. “All they would tell me was that she was spotted there and there have been sightings of other demons with her.”_

Angela twirled her sticks in time to the music and whirled her body around while moving her feet in a series of complicated footwork. Her choice of music was of the pop variety so her movements were more fluid. She gave her body a twist and brought her arms in a swinging motion, the sticks parallel with each other.

_“Are they certain it is her?”_

_“You’ve seen her?”_

_Angela rubbed her upper arms trying to dispel the uneasy feeling that was starting to creep along her spine. She replied, “She… ‘rescued’ me at the Point.”_

_Christian looked at her. He couldn’t compel her to say anything like he could lesser vamps. First off if he tried she would have kicked his ass. Secondly, she was just as strong as he was and they would have cancelled each other out. He replied, “What did she want?”_

_“She said something about moving players in the right direction.”_

Angela gave a jump kick and twirled around while holding the sticks close to her body. She then held up her fingers while her thumbs held the sticks steady as she moved her hands playing on her skills with kung fu. She didn’t have to check her stance since by the feel of her muscles, they were in proper formation. Plus she used her martial arts before resorting to guns and the like when she was in a physical altercation.

She thought about meeting Lenya at the Point and before that when she threatened about eventually taking Sam. Lenya never did anything that did serve a higher purpose. Angela was certain that one of the primary purposes for Lenya’s games was to mess with her. Ever since she escaped Lenya’s grasp, the demon tailed her after working hard to find her and toyed with her memories. The second primary purpose had to do with Azazel. What exactly Angela wasn’t sure unless it had something to do with the psychic kids. Thinking about them, Angela did a forward flip to land in a crouched position at the refrain of the song.

_Angela studied the young girl before her. She was like a scared rabbit with big blue eyes and chin length reddish hair. Her cream colored skin was white and she looked ready to faint. Not her fault really since she nearly had her throat slashed by a pair of renegade hunters. She said in a soothing tone, “It’s all right. I won’t hurt you.”_

_“Th-those two guys… They tried to kill me!” The girl started to cry and she grabbed Angela and held on into a hug._

_“And they won’t again.” Angela gave a soothing sound and murmured soothing phrases while she held the girl as she cried. At the same time she used her powers to calm the girl. She asked, “Why would they want to hurt you?”_

_The girl let go and started wiping her tears away. She then started saying, “He told me people would come after me unless I got them first. He told me I was special.”_

_That piqued Angela’s interest. The girl was about twenty-three and she discovered earlier that her mother had died in a nursery fire when she was six months old. That was the basic profile of the psychics. There were a few exceptions like one girl she found whose father was the one that died since her mother died in childbirth. Some didn’t lose their parents but they had abilities that manifested. “Who told you that?”_

_“The man with the yellow eyes. He told me in my dreams.”_

It had been one of many conversations that had been similar during her search for Azazel. Once she discovered what he had been doing to kids, she modified her case. Originally it was find him and send him back to hell where he belonged. Now she wanted to kill him for what he had been doing. Then what he did to Mary only fueled her rage against him but in reality she was angry with herself. If she hadn’t been so foolish, she would have done her research and not have done the ritual. Then Azazel wouldn’t have been set free and Mary would still be alive to live her life with John. She wouldn’t have helped John broker the deal that traded his life for Dean’s.

Angela moved her feet in time to the music, looking more like she was dancing but her movements had become faster. She realized that her anger was fueling her movements but they were controlled enough so that she wouldn’t accidentally hit something or someone. She twirled and brought one stick back as if she were going to backhand an imaginary opponent and then brought the other one down to complete the movement that would have bashed in a skull if the full force of her strength were put behind it. She listened to the music and heard that she was on the final go of the refrain. She finished it off with a dance move that allowed her to toss the sticks away and use her hands. She ended with a forward flip kick that allowed her land in a ready stance.

Angela felt her lungs heave for air. She was ready to stop now and she could feel her tiredness creep in. She was going to have to sleep in the car when they left town. She turned off her player and rolled up the cording and put it in the pocket of her pants. She went to where she placed the hoodie she had been wearing and picked it up.

“Um nice moves.”

Angela turned to see Sam walking up. She hadn’t expected him to find her since the field was out of view from the motel. That didn’t matter though. She could tell that there was something weighing on his mind. She was curious but responded in kind, “Uh, thanks. Just something I do. Keeps me in shape.”

Sam gave a slight smile, “Won’t that just make you hungry?”

Angela gave a snort as she pulled the hoodie on. When she was finished, it looked like she was one of those people who was once fat but lost a ton of weight and it showed. The torso hid the curves that attracted unwanted attention and the sleeves extended over her hands. She pushed up the sleeves so that she could brush a lock of hair that had come loose from the makeshift bun at the nape of her neck. She replied, “Believe me that wasn’t enough to make me into a starving idiot.” She grinned as she said it. She added, “So what brings you out this way?”

Sam smiled a bit. Even though he was bothered by his nightmare and the not too good conversation with Dean, Angela managed to put him at ease and into a good mood. He replied, “I felt like going for a walk.”

Angela chuckled. She knew that wasn’t the case but she wasn’t going to force the issue. She could just be there like a good friend and if Sam wanted to talk then she would listen. He said that he wouldn’t push if she didn’t want to talk and she gave her word that she would do the same towards him and Dean. “I can join you if you want.”

Sam knew that she was extending an offer to listen to him talk. He had learned to recognize her subtle signs and he was sure Dean had too. Thing was he wanted to talk but he wasn’t sure how to tell the one person that he was closest to and that was his brother Dean. Maybe he could ask Angela for her opinion. He replied, “If you’re sure that you can handle it.”

“If I can handle two full grown men who act like babies when they are hurt and on heavy meds and while drunk on soda or rather getting over a hangover at the same time, I think I can handle a little walk.” Angela gave a smile before putting her hands in her pants pockets. “So lead the way.”

Sam stared at Angela trying to see if she was serious and when she didn’t move, he started walking in a direction.  He didn’t have to look to see that she kept up easily. In fact it looked as if she were going for a stroll with her hands in her pockets though it was funny with her wearing his hoodie. He walked on not saying anything for a few minutes as he tried to decide how he wanted to word what he wanted to talk about. The fact that she didn’t say anything but waited made him appreciate her companionship. Finally he decided to go with her approach and that was to speak bluntly. “I had nightmare. First time in a while.”

“Same one as before? About Jess?”

“Something like that,” Sam allowed. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her what else he saw that had him bothered. Maybe he should ease into it. “There was more. I don’t know if it was something that my mind came up with or if it was part of a vision.”

Angela listened while Sam rambled on. It must be big especially if he was that reluctant to say anything in terms of the details. Still she meant what she said and would let him tell her in his own way and in his own time. She could still prompt him though if he needed it. She replied, “I’m going to exercise a bit of humor and ask if it was clowns or midgets.”

“Nothing like that but I saw the yellow-eyed demon.”

Angela immediately thought back on that memory she had when she was working out. She had seen over a dozen psychic kids with that same look the girl had on her face when they mentioned Azazel. Why she had the memory of that girl was beyond her at the moment but she was wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she was one of the few that were hunted by hunters and didn’t understand why since she hadn’t done anything. It could be that she was subconsciously thinking about her altercation with Gordon. Now that he knew what she was… She knew his kind. He would be back and he had her scent, not literally but…

Angela turned away from those thoughts to focus on what Sam was talking about. She asked, “Did he say anything?”

“Something about it being a test.”

“I see,” Angela replied. She was aware of the Croatoan virus test. She had found the dead body drained of blood when she traveled that part of the states. She then asked, “Any details about what kind it might be?”

Sam made a face as he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. How much should he tell her? “He said it was a test for another one of his favorites. He also said that I was special.”

Angela made a small sound. “Perhaps we may stumble onto another psychic. The list I gave you has the names of ones that I found and more or less ‘requested’ protection by the Council as well as pulled in a few favors owed to me.”

Sam didn’t say anything. After leaving West Point and they were staying at Bobby’s for a few days, she came to him and handed him a list. She told him that those were the ones she found that were still alive along with contact numbers. She said that if he wanted some answers they were ones to talk to and it would be safe for them since they were taken care of. He never contacted any of them but yet it was nice to know that there were others out there. The number of them though was astounding. He had asked her at the time why was she giving it to him and she said that she said she would and left it at that. Now to hear her bring it up again, Sam couldn’t doubt that she was trying to help.

When she mentioned requested in a stressed tone he had to chuckle and he replied, “In terms of requesting that meant you threatened, didn’t you?”

“Aggressive negotiations,” Angela countered with a sly smile. She loved getting one up on the Council. It made their attempts at humiliating her into obedience look like a weak prank. “Anyway, if it is another psychic, best to work to find him or her before something happens. There are people out there who may take things the wrong way... like Gordon.”

Sam inwardly shuddered at that memory, more in anger that the hunter had tried to use Dean as bait to get to him. He then thought about it and recalled how Angela was able to sense a poltergeist in that warehouse before Grant. He said, “You can always use your mojo tracker.”

Angela couldn’t help but laugh, “My what?”

“Just remembering that poltergeist you found even though the EMP didn’t go off. You could do whatever you did then and judging from the list you gave me, you’re good at tracking people.”

Angela raised her brow. Leave it to Sam to remember details. Unfortunately she only found the poltergeist because she touched something and it made her live a memory of the poltergeist’s antics. She was able to connect a few dots and voila. Still it was something to say that someone had a measure of faith in her and it was genuine. She replied, “I can track people but it makes me sound like a glorified bloodhound.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Relax Sam.” Angela glanced around to see that they had wandered near a mini mart in town. She nudged him with her elbow, “Feel like stopping?”

It wasn’t until they were walking back to the motel, Angela carrying a bag of junk food for the road that she asked, “So did you talk to Dean about it?”

Sam stiffened slightly. Often he wondered if she knew exactly what was going on between him and Dean since she managed to offer hints on difficult subjects. Funny thing was he noticed that it was difficult to keep things a secret with her. If she chose to be persistent, they would be spilling within minutes. If she didn’t, it killed them until they mentioned it. He relaxed and looked at her. She was not looking at him but he could tell that she was waiting. For some reason it came off as a pout, “No.”

Angela looked at Sam thoughtfully storing away the thought that at the moment he was behaving like Dean did when she handed him the pain pill for his ribs when they left Grant. She replied, “You know he means well.”

“I know that, Angie. It’s just that the way he gets on my ass about it…”

“Drives you into the defensive position,” Angela supplemented. “Don’t I know it.” She gave a slight movement with her mouth to think about her choice of words and then added, “The whole business with Yellow Eyes bothers him a great deal. He’s scared and worried.”

“You know that from experience?”

“You know I have no siblings,” Angela replied.

“Right,” Sam muttered. “So what you use your psychic powers?” It came out more harsh than what he intended but at the moment he was annoyed that she could get to the heart of it and he didn’t want to tell her the whole truth.

“You know I don’t do that.” Angela paused a moment. They were at her door so she could shut him out. She wasn’t going to get involved in the pissing match actively. She would offer the advice and leave it to them to fix their mess. She fished her key out of her pocket. She opened the door slightly.

“Right you just suggest calming thoughts.”

Angela shut the door and turned towards Sam. She said, “Look Sam, whatever happened in your dream, you have to deal with it. Eventually you’ll have to talk to your brother. You can do the whole do it alone crap but in the end each other is all you’re going to have and believe me when I say life is too short for you to be driving wedges between you two.”

Sam realized that he was being an ass with her. He did come to her to ask for help and he ended up throwing it back in her face. He could say that it was because of the lack of sleep but he kept his cool in situations like that. What was he really upset about? He almost let her go back in but stopped her by saying, “Wait. That was unfair of me.”

“Lack of sleep does that,” Angela replied giving a slight smile. She didn’t take it personally. Heck both of them admitted in their own way they were a bit freaked when she got them out of getting a speeding ticket on their way there. She didn’t blame them really but it was better that they know what she was capable of. “Maybe a doze in the car will help a bit.”

Sam frowned in surprise. In not so many words she just reduced it as to nothing big to worry about. “Wait, you’re okay with that?”

“Sam, I’ve had my fair share of dreams and in fact I had one last night that had me wondering a few things. It had me up since three working it out.” Angela knew she just admitted to having a troubling dream and she was sure questions would follow. Best to head it off now so she added, “Besides this isn’t about me. Talk to your brother.”

Sam looked at Angela as if they were engaging in a staring contest. He saw that she was going to put this on him and he knew she was right. It didn’t sit well though that she was overshadowing her own problems. He replied, “I don’t suppose I could convince you to say something to Dean. He’s probably pissed at me.” Then to see if it would work, he gave his best set of puppy dog eyes.

Angela took one look at the eyes and she saw instantly how Dean caved every time. She suspected that was how he got Dean on board with her coming. She wasn’t going to fall for it though and she started laughing, “You’re on your own for this one Sam. I told you I’m not getting between you and your brother and I mean that.”

“Oh and what about the pranks?” Sam asked her with an amused glance amazed that she was resisting the look. Then again she probably had experience in resisting it. “If I recall you like to watch us accuse each other.”

“Oh I enjoy that but I do have a sense of fair play and I take credit when it is my work.” Angela smiled. She opened the door again and put her foot down to prop it open. “I’ve offered my advice so you can take it as you want.”

“Thanks Angie,” Sam replied. “I’ll try to talk to Dean though you know how it is.”

“Not really I don’t,” Angela replied in seriousness, “But I know the type. I do the same.”

“But you’re nicer about it,” Sam replied without thinking.

Angela smiled with a mischievous twinkle, “There you go again. I am seriously starting to doubt my usefulness here.”

Sam realized what he said and replied, “Well you haven’t bit off our heads.”

“Yet,” Angela replied, “And I hope not to. So now be a good boy and talk to your brother and if either of you bother me within twenty minutes, I’ll shoot you with rock salt, _and_ I’ll laugh.” She gave a condescending pat that was teasing to Sam’s shoulder before going into her room.

She had almost shut the door when Sam gave grin and replied, “Yes Mom.”

Sam waited until Angela was in her room before giving a sigh. Now it was time to actually follow Angela’s advice. He had to admit that she was good at compelling others without her powers and he had been an ass about it. Thing was it was like she forgave him for that but it concerned him that she completely sidestepped the fact that she had a bad night and she was still functioning on at least three hours of sleep. It was something that he would ask her later and he hoped that he wouldn’t screw it up.

****

Dean came back to the room to find that Sam hadn’t come back yet. For the briefest of moments, he felt disappointed that his brother wasn’t there. Then again whenever Sam got into a mood, he would go out to brood for long periods of time and then come back. It didn’t mean that he was ready to talk but his presence meant that he was willing to be civil. Of course when they were kids, Dean would get nervous when Sam would do that and the kid was fast when it came to walking.

As much as Dean would get a devil may care attitude, he still worried for his brother. He watched out for him every chance he got. When Sam ditched him for Stanford, he was pissed but he came by once a month to check up on his little brother.

_Look after Sam._

That was the job that had been saddled with or rather something he assigned himself when Sam had been born. Dean was only exercising his concerns but he was aware that he did it badly and well it was the Winchester way to tough it up. So he sat and drank the last cup of coffee though it was cold by then but it was something and waited.

When Dean heard Sam’s voice, he went to take a look. He spotted Sam walking back with Angela and they were talking. About what, Dean wasn’t sure but judging from the seriousness of the conversation it was probably about Sam’s nightmare. For some reason Dean felt a twinge of jealousy that Sam would talk to her about it and not him. He never felt that way before since Sam was the talker and Angela was actually willing to listen. He watched as they smiled about some joke before going to his bed and started packing. He hadn’t found a job that morning but maybe they might find something or Bobby might call.

He didn’t even look up when Sam opened the door and walked in. All Dean said was, “Had a nice walk, Lance Armstrong?”

“Yeah,” Sam replied. He could tell something was up with his brother and for a brief moment he thought he heard Angela saying ‘I told you so’ in his mind. “Gave me some time to think.”

“That’s nice.”

Sam made a grim line with his mouth. Something was up with Dean. “Dean I want to talk.”

“Now you want to talk?” Dean looked up from his packing. “Why bother Sam? Seems you prefer to talk to her more than your brother.”

“What brought this on?” Sam frowned at Dean’s hostility. “Dean we were talking about what happened this morning between you and me.”

“Yeah and I can see that you spill secrets like a leaky faucet.”

“What’s up with you?”

“You know what, Sam.”

“I have an idea, but to tell you the truth I think talking about my nightmare is a moot point,” Sam replied. “Dean all she told me was that I needed to talk to you about it. That’s all.”

Dean would have said something at that moment but his cell phone rang. He gave a glare at Sam before answering, “Hey Bobby.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sam watched while his brother talked to Bobby. He got it that Dean may be pissed at him but never like this. From the way Dean sounded, it was as almost as if he was jealous or something and over the fact that Sam was talking to Angela about what to do and not necessarily the content of his nightmare. Sam knew that this was far from over but he needed to have Dean cool down a bit if they were even going to continue this discussion.

Dean eyed Sam as he listened to the voice of the grizzled hunter. “We haven’t come across anything while we were here. You find something?” His voice had taken on a sharp tone.

_You watch your tone with me boy._

“Bobby.”

_Hold your damn horses. Now I have been keeping track of some signs that appeared unusual. Strange weather patterns, the usual._

“We’re talking about omens?” Dean glanced at Sam as thoughts about the yellow eyed demon and what John had told him began to creep into his mind.

_Looks like it. Looks like something big is happening._

“Any idea where?”

_I’m getting there. What’s gotten in ya boy?_

“Sorry Bobby. It’s just not been a good morning.” Dean rubbed a hand across his face. He felt the tension and anger leave. He began to wonder why he was angry in the first place. Even looking at Sam didn’t give him a reason why. “So what have you got?”

_I did some digging and it appears that a string of killings are happening in some place called Hudson, Wyoming._

“So we’re looking for a ghost, werewolf?”

_Not sure. Town’s full of mild mannered people until one suddenly goes postal. Attacks have been random. The latest was an old lady, the owner of the local market. Police aren’t releasing too many details._

“Sounds like a case. We’ll take it,” Dean replied. He waved Sam away when he tried to ask what was going on. “Thanks Bobby.”

_No problem._

Sam asked, “So, we got a case?”

Dean put his phone away and placed it in his pocket. “Yeah. Bobby found us a case. Apparently random people are going postal and they’re killing each other.”

“Bobby say why?”

“Not really but it’s enough for me. Besides I was getting bored with this town. We leave in an hour?”

Sam frowned slightly at the sudden change in his brother’s demeanor. It had been actually visible as his brother’s tone of voice went from outright pissed to calm. It wasn’t even that deliberate calm Dean used when he was on the job. The look he gave Sam when he glanced at him was confused, as if he had no idea why he had been angry in the first place. Sam wasn’t sure of what to make of it and decided to play it safe. He replied, “Sure. You want me to tell Angie?”

Dean frowned slightly still trying to contemplate why he was angry over a conversation. He brushed it off and said, “Sure.”

Sam frowned, “You okay Dean?”

“I’m fine Sam,” Dean replied a little harsh. “Just do whatever.” He didn’t mean to sound annoyed but his sudden change in temper had him tense and confused. He didn’t need Sam poking at it with questions.

“If this is about earlier…”

“Enough, Sam. All I want to do is get on the road as soon as possible.” Dean went back to stuffing his back, heedless of the fact that he had taken time to actually fold and pack. At this point he didn’t care. He was starting to get annoyed at the fact that Sam started poking at him. It never occurred to him how much his own poking had annoyed Sam. The shoe was on the other foot.

Sam said nothing and went to pack his things. He watched his brother carefully for any signs of what happened earlier. He would have gone to let Angela know but her warning came back about bothering her and his argument with Dean took probably about ten minutes. Besides he was concerned about Dean and he was starting to understand a little bit about what she had been taking about with Dean’s concerns about him.

“You don’t have to babysit me, Samantha.”

“I’m not,” Sam denied. “Angie just asked for twenty minutes.”

Dean rolled his eyes as he zipped his duffle up. He marched out of the room and went down to Angela’s. Sam followed him feeling the eerie familiarity of his nightmare. He watched as Dean pounded on her door and shouted, telling her to stop with the girly habits and that she was as bad as Samantha. Sam had enough and shouted, “Dean!”

****

Angela sat in a slouched position at the table in her room. She asked for twenty but a shower took her ten. She spent the remaining ten reading a book she hadn’t set her eyes on in months. She skimmed to the middle of the book running her finger along the elegant and spidery handwriting as if to feel the words. She found what she was looking for.

_May 2005_

_… Tracked A. to the Midwest, somewhere in Oklahoma. He was waiting for me. He had marked another. I detest him for what he has done to younglings… and I detest myself mainly for my failures. I was too late to stop him this time but at least one mother is still alive to hold her child._

_A small victory in my quest to right the wrong that I committed so long ago. One more step into making it up to M. my truest friend. The other part is keeping my promise to her…_

_… J.W. tracked me down to Kentucky while I was on a job. Ever since he saved my life, he’s always asked if I had any leads. This time I was able to give him info on two demons that might be able to help him. I said I would also keep an eye out but he asked me to come along._

_I didn’t want him to meet her. J.W. met the hell bitch that torments me. J. knows how to hunt… it’s in the blood… but he has never met a demon of her caliber. He was lucky she had only eyes for me. We barely escaped but A. got away again. I apologized but J. said that we still got what he needed. It was info on A’s plan for the ‘specials.’ It was always about protecting the boys…_

Angela read through the entries of the time John met with her and they discussed the plan in regards to tracking down Azazel. She respected John’s tactical approach and understood it completely. As much as it was easy to just find the demon and kill him, she wanted to find out what his master plan was and throw a wrench into it. John did to but for different reasons.

Angela thumbed through the entries of her journal. Some were about various jobs for the Centurion and others were about jobs she stumbled upon. There were a few about the jobs that had her actually performing a service, like being hired on as a bodyguard. There were also entries about her chase for Azazel and her meeting John.

_Aug 1989_

_… Retirement or semi-retirement is a bitch especially when the bloody Centurion seems desperate to keep you in. I can’t even enjoy my house but I guess I am the only one who knows how to take out some scaly monsters. Bah I defeated one and now I am the expert. Well I guess I am and I have to keep some bloody hunters from becoming snake chow._

_Turns out that I underestimated the beastie. It was a clan of five of them and they got the jump on me. The histamine in their bites is very debilitating and I was bitten on the shoulder. I was about to get chowed upon when the head above me was decapitated. Next thing I knew I see a human face and he was helping me out. His first words were, “I finally found you. Thank you for watching over my boys.”_

Angela gave a slight smile but quickly sobered. The last entry was of a day that she would rather forget. She closed the journal. She didn’t have to read the last entry. She knew what it was since that was the last time she wrote in the book. The day that John gave his life for Dean’s. Now things were starting up again regarding Azazel, at least from what Christian had told her from the Centurion.

Then there were the dreams. Hers and Sam’s. Perhaps it was a clue to her quest. She opened back up her journal to a fresh page and picked up the complimentary pen. She paused for a moment and then put the pen to paper and began to write. She was in the middle of writing her thoughts about her conversation with Sam when there was a loud banging on her door and Dean shouting at her.

Puzzled at the attitude, she didn’t answer. She closed her journal and tucked it within her bag. She heard Dean shout again and then Sam’s voice protesting. Surely they didn’t start something while she was otherwise occupied? She pulled the hoodie on and walked towards the door. She opened it a crack and peered out. She saw Dean looking impatient and otherwise angry. At what she had no idea. She then saw Sam’s apologetic look. She said calmly and began sending calming waves to the agitated Winchester, “Dean, does asking to come in require you to bang and shout?”

Whatever Dean was going to say was instantly gone as he pondered the same question. He had no idea why he was being an ass to both Sam and Angela. His agitation tough was soothed by the calming aura that he was sure Angela was sending. He replied, “Thanks Angie.”

Angela said nothing but continued to study Dean as if trying to se if anything was wrong. Seeing nothing and figuring it was just a morning of misunderstandings and bad nights, she said, “No problem. So, you find a job?”

That got Dean back on track and he replied, “Actually Bobby found us something. Some town in Wyoming has people suddenly going postal. Thinks it’s a spirit maybe.”

Angela nodded, “Alright. So leaving within an hour I presume?”

“Yeah… how…?”

“That’s usually the case, Dean,” Angela replied smiling slightly. “I’ll meet you at the car.” She then closed the door leaving the two brothers standing there. One with a look of surprise and the other with confusion. It had been a strange morning.

****

Lenya sat at the table watching the motel. She held the cell phone to her ear and said, “Not sure. Town’s full of mild mannered people until one suddenly goes postal. Attacks have been random. The latest was an old lady, the owner of the local market. Police aren’t releasing too many details.” Her voice sounded rather gravely but she was smiling nonetheless.

She listened as she heard the hunter on the other end agree to take the case. She then replied, “No problem,” and hung up.

She had been asked to get the Winchesters to Wyoming and she found a perfect way. It would have been easy to go to Sioux Falls and tie up Bobby Singer and make him say what she wanted him to. Yet she knew Bobby would probably have had devil’s traps everywhere and of course the bloody holy water and salt. This was much better. She could say what was needed without the risk of real Bobby Singer giving away clues that he was being held. That would have defeated the purpose.

How she managed to imitate the grizzled hunter’s voice was a gift and all it took was one visit to the Singer Salvage Yard. She came with the excuse that her car had broken down and her cell phone was dead and asked if she could use the phone. True though that he attempted his usual checklists for demons and other things but she managed to pull of the slight of hand trick that had become the norm when she wanted something from the pathetic meat suits. It also helped that she played the damsel in distress card really well. She had no doubt that if she were to walk over the room she was watching now she could charm the Winchester boys to do anything.

All it took was talking with the hunter for a few moments and she had his timbre down pat. Lenya smiled at the look on the hunter’s face when she gave him a hug and a kiss for letting her use the phone. It was priceless. Now she had succeeded in getting the Winchesters over to the staging area. The bonus came when she saw the elder Winchester burst out of his room, walk over to where little sister’s room was and started pounding on the door.

What Lenya didn’t count on was the fact that little sister would be so calm about it. The entertainment was shot lived when Dean lost the feeling of anger and annoyance and was looking confused at little sister. A close look told Lenya that she had been using those mental powers of hers and it made Lenya curse. When she used to play with little sister, Lenya never got to see any of that. She had tried all the usual games and even some that were creative but little sister refused. Now she was using it to dispel the influence that had been cast upon Dean before her companion went back to his domain.

“I see you have started you games early.”

Lenya turned to face the one who had been placed in charge of the whole operation that they were working towards. She gave a bow of her head in respect and replied, “Tis a means of providing an angle to the game Uncle.”

Azazel gave a grin at his favorite niece. Lenya was well known for concocting games that truly brought out the spirit of the tests he conjured up for his special kids. Of course it was a bonus when it involved his especial favorite; the one who set him free all those years ago. He looked at Lenya who was pleased that he had come and said, “I assume that you have roped Ramos into this?”

“Of course. In addition to stirring up the town he was assigned to draw the Winchesters there, he was the one who suggested we make it a bit more interesting.” Lenya smoothed the skirt of the dress she was wearing. Even though she was an old and powerful demon, she still carried a childlike demeanor. She gave a slight giggle. “He found a worthier candidate for his full talents… so that it will truly test what has barely been forged.”

Azazel grinned in pleasure. He also gave a warning, “It must be a hard enough strike to send the lesson home but not so hard that it unravels everything.”

“Uncle, you don’t know little sister like I do,” Lenya replied, knowing full well what Azazel meant by his warning. Thing was she knew little sister very well especially after all the years they spent together. “Even if the bonds are broken completely, she will still follow them. Her biggest weakness is them.”

“Not entirely, my pet,” Azazel replied, “It’s her sense of honor.” He sneered slightly when he said the word. “Honor and loyalty. A pain in the ass if you ask me.”

Lenya giggled. She knew all about Azazel’s philosophy on what honor truly meant. His arguments have been known to tear down the resolve of the strongest of warriors. She replied, “Now it has worked to our advantage. Since she has protection of a certain sort and can’t be found as easily, we can track her another way.”

“And tell me what that is.”

Lenya looked at Azazel and asked in a teasing manner, “You mean you don’t know already? That is something akin to not knowing that the sky is blue.”

“I hear things but you know some of the lesser minions are ass kissers.”

Lenya became serious. When that happened, lesser demons knew to stay away since that usually meant that she was going to do something and they weren’t going to like it. She then said, “Track the Winchesters and you’ll find her. She’s traveling with them now.”

“Is she? I thought she would stay away after what John made her do.” Azazel looked as if Christmas had come early, that was if demons believed in such a thing. “Guilt and secrets are a wonderful thing.”

“My thoughts exactly Uncle,” Lenya replied still maintaining a sense of seriousness. “What better way to amplify Ramos’ talents than reveal something that little sister has little to no intention of revealing?”

Azazel gave a thick chuckle that was full of darkness. “That is why your father sent you to me. He knows your talents.”

“That and I was the one who spent the most time with little sister. I’ve seen her a few times and she still doesn’t even bother.” Lenya then gave a little girl giggle. In the process she clapped her hands. “She remembers how much fun she had. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”

Azazel chuckled some more. He watched the motel and saw her walk out of the room carrying a large duffle slung over her shoulder dressed in jeans, a shirt and a jacket. He watched as she paused as if she sensed something and she stopped to look around. Azazel wasn’t worried. She couldn’t see him or Lenya if they didn’t want her to see even though she would be driven crazy by the energy she was feeling. He smiled big when she looked in their direction and moved her head like an inquisitive puppy would. He waited until she continued walking towards the main office to check out and said, “Seems like we’ve made an impression here.”

Lenya had been watching the whole thing. She was grinning herself, proud of the fact that little sister was improving in her other talents. She replied, “Little sister is improving. Still a baby though and more is the pity. If she would just let go…”

“We’re lucky she’s even gotten this far. The others were not like her.”

“Oh yes. They were just meat suits even though they came from similar stock,” Lenya replied in a sing song manner that made it sound like she was bored with the whole thing. “So is there anything you want me to arrange? You know how I love it when you give orders.”

“And you take certain liberties with them,” Azazel pointed out. “The game is designed to create discord while testing certain abilities. I believe it’s already started with Sammy there. How about the other?”

“It came as a surprise but after that last river of rage in that pisshole town, she popped up.” Lenya glanced at Azazel, “I’m surprised you forgot about that one.”

“That’s why I have you around. I have to find the perfect one and sometimes I lose track of my kids. This one slipped by but you found her. Now the initial game has been modified.”

Lenya became businesslike once more. “Is it the same as Oregon with the virus?”

“Something like that,” Azazel replied. He loved Lenya. She may act like a child but the girl was faultless when it came to setting up the games and executing them. “We need to be sure about her so I want you to arrange it that she discovers it.”

“Done.”

“Well this has been exciting,” Azazel grinned as he stood up. He watched the meat suits walk around without a care in the world. He caught a glimpse of Lenya’s pet as she walked out of the main office carrying a drink in one hand and the duffle in the other. “I need to go check on the other kids. The main arena has been set and it looks like there is one who will give Sammy a run for his money when his turn comes up.”

“That will be something to see. I would love to see little sister’s face if she was able to see it but not able to do anything,” Lenya replied as she stood up with Azazel. “But I suppose you have a different arena set up for her.”

Azazel gave a chuckle, “Now, my dear, that is one plan I want to keep for myself. I do promise though that you will be there for the grand finale. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than earned it. I promise it will be just the way you like it.”

“Thank you Uncle.”

Azazel rested a hand on Lenya’s shoulder before disappearing. Lenya grinned as she watched the Winchesters approach the Impala where little sister was waiting. She could visibly see the tension that was starting to arise between them. She thanked Ramos for not being able to resist using his talents on the elder Winchester. She so enjoyed seeing the look of confusion on little sister’s face.

She stayed to watch as the car pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the road to head to the highway. Soon she would pay a little visit to little sister. It had been too long and she wanted to see her reaction. She gave a hum of a laugh as she picked up her purse and walked away. She walked to the side of the road and held out her thumb to hitchhike.

She wasn’t surprised that the first vehicle that stopped contained a man. Few men both young and old could resist her charms. She was just lucky that this one was rather young and he had a pretty girl with him. They offered her a ride and she accepted. She gave a smile as she got in the car. She would ride with them to get as close as she could and then she would have a little bit of pleasure. Something to rub in the face of little sister.

The pretty girl was looking at her after asking her a question. She smiled and replied, “I’m pretty much stranded since my car is broken but if you get me to the town before you turn off, I can make a call and my friends will be able to come. We were supposed to meet there.” She glanced at the man and then the girl. “It’s nice to see that there are still a few decent people.”


	4. Chapter 4

Natalia glanced down the street as she walked towards the only other place to buy supplies in Hudson, and that was the gas station mini mart. The general store was closed since old Mrs. Ferguson was beaten to death by Mr. Hartshorne. Natalia still couldn’t believe it; that old Mr. Hartshorne just suddenly went crazy and beat that sweet old lady to death. When the police asked him why he did it, he just said that the old biddy had poked into his affairs for the last time.

She looked at the store with its police tape all around the door. She could still see the blood sprayed on the window. She shuddered at the sight of it. Natalia also wondered about the other incidents that occurred before. She heard that Nancy and Gertrude from the post office were shopping and then suddenly they started going at each other like two wild animals. They bit and scratched until both were dead from their wounds. The town she loved was becoming a hell hole.

“Hey Nat, busy day today?”

Natalia turned to see an old friend sidling up. She smiled big and replied, “The usual Tony though I still can’t help but think about what happened to Mrs. Ferguson. Why would he do that?”

Tony Ramos looked down at the short woman he was walking with as he adjusted his suit. He replied, “No idea but I will defend him to the best of my ability.”

“That’s good,” Natalia replied.

“So how’s that boy of yours?”

“Getting better. Nana has him right now. I’m just making a food run and then back to work. Gotta pay the bills right?” Natalia went to the door of the minimart.

“That’s good,” Ramos replied, “Listen, Nat, do you want to go out for a meal. Maybe get your mind off of things?”

Natalia smiled. She had always liked Tony. He had been a quiet and shy boy when they went to school together. When he went away to college, he came back more confident in himself and happy at the prospect of starting his own law practice in town. When the incidents started happening, he had stepped up to defend the people who were arrested. Most of them were good people and they wouldn’t harm a fly. Yet lately there had been something off about him. Natalia couldn’t put her finger on it but it was as if Tony were a different person at times, especially when he became adamant about a subject that was passionate to him. Other times he seemed to not care about what had happened. As much as Natalia wanted to avoid him completely, she sensed that she had to be natural in dealing with him. She looked at him and replied, “I’d love to but Jerry is still not doing well and Nana can’t do all the watching all the time. Perhaps when he is better?”

Ramos looked a bit disappointed and for a moment, Natalia thought she saw a flash of anger. It was quickly gone when he smiled and replied, “That’s fine Nat. I was hoping to get your mind off of things. I know how much you liked the old lady.”

“It was a nice gesture. Thank you and have a good day,” Natalia replied still smiling as she turned to go into the mini mart. She went to one of the aisles furthest from the doors and pretended to search for what she needed. She relaxed when she no longer saw Tony at the door. She also released the shudder she had been suppressing.

Ramos in the meantime walked off towards his meat suit’s law office to do some semblance of work while he contemplated on whom next to have fun with. He did toy with the idea of making the boy at the mini mart counter start with the attitude. Then again he wanted to keep enough folks around for when the game really began. He could admit that he was pissed though.

Natalia Abeyta was one of the folks that he couldn’t seem to affect as well as he would want. In fact he really couldn’t at all. Through his meat suit’s memories, he was able to learn some interesting things about her and when he put two and two together to make five, that was when he informed Lenya and she informed Azazel. Azazel in turn was pleased as punch and ordered him Ramos to get close and see what she was made of.

Ramos of course was his usual charming self but sometimes it was hard to control that natural emotion that he was so good at raising in others. Natalia often rebuffed his efforts and never voluntarily allowed herself to be in his company alone without witnesses like the pimple faced boy in the mart. He tried going to her place but he found that he was being repelled and it was in part to her old biddy of a grandmother. According to his meat’s memories, the old woman was considered something of a shaman. She knew the old ways and apparently about things that others had no clue about.

Once he did meet the old biddy at the store. Ramos hated the woman and the way that she stared at him. The face had been expressionless and stoic. It pissed Ramos off and when she muttered a word that was skin to the word ‘Christo’ he had to do everything in his power not to shudder or react to it. Thing was he didn’t have to react since it was like she knew what he was and just wanted to see for herself. It made him all the more determined to push Natalia to the limit but as long as the old biddy was around, he really couldn’t touch her.

Ramos opened the door to his law office and smiled in a charming manner to his secretary. She looked up at him and her eyes flickered black in annoyance before reverting to normal. She was actually one of the first that Ramos had experimented on and she went postal on her dog of all things which in fact forced the dog to maul her. It had been amusing to Ramos as she grasped her throat and the blood rushed out. The dog he had fun with his own special hound. He gave his own glare to his secretary and said, “I need those case reports by twelve. I have court in two days.”

“Yes Mr. Ramos,” the secretary replied in an annoyed thick Spanish accent.

“You sound like a soap opera.”

“I wouldn’t if you had picked something else for me to wear.”

Ramos started chuckling, “I don’t swing that way for old ladies.” He straightened out the suit he was wearing. He spotted a piece of lint and meticulously picked it off.

The secretary gave a scowl. The last meat suit she was in was more attractive than this bag of bones. She swore the boss did things just to show everyone how much power he had. Yet what could she do? His privileges were above her pay grade definitely. She muttered, “You have a message. Your girlfriend says to call her.” Her voice was tinged with jealousy.

Ramos resisted the urge to laugh at the sounds of jealousy. As if he and Lenya would ever hook up in that manner. The girl would rather make him into a chew toy than do that. Besides she had a special preference and Ramos wasn’t going to let her get distracted from that. He replied in a nonchalant manner, “Fine. When is my client coming in?”

His secretary made an annoyed huff and clicked on the computer to check the schedule. “Hartshorne’s daughter is coming in at 11:30. You have about twenty minutes.”

Ramos said nothing but gave a little wave. The girl he won’t bother with but he might have some fun when he went out to lunch today. He walked over to his office which was surprisingly nice for a small piss ant town like this. Then again, he liked these dirt holes simply because they were often in the middle of nowhere and hardly anyone cared about what happened to the people. They were often perfect staging areas for other forms of entertainment. His favorite was the underground fight club that really attracted the stupid humans. It always amazed and amused him at how much these people craved the things that were illegal not to mention the violence. Even those Bible-thumping hypocrites loved their fair share of blood spills.

His desk was dark cherry wood and looked big and imposing. Here was where he ran his little empire. It made his office look like the ones of those big city attorneys even though it was in a podunk town like Hudson. Yet it was his meat’s dream so he would milk it for what it was worth. He sat in his big leather chair and leaned back and studied the documents on his desk. He definitely was going to have some fun when he went on lunch today and he’ll keep it going into the night.

A slight breeze and a light flickered in the office but Ramos didn’t stir. He knew he had a call coming in. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were the trademark sign of a demon. It was how he and Lenya been communicating. He said, “I got your message. I just got in.”

There was a slight whisper. To anyone listening, it would have sounded like the wind was blowing through. Ramos though knew what the breeze was and responded, “No. She still is under the protection of the old biddy.”

The wind whispers became slightly harsh. Ramos knew that Lenya was annoyed but like that couldn’t be helped. He replied, “Subtlety is probably not going to work on this one. The direct approach may be better but we need to plan for it.”

The whispers calmed down enough. Ramos knew he had gained favor with Lenya since she loved direct approaches on specific targets. He smiled as he listened and then replied, “Perhaps the hell bitch might be able to get us close enough for the direct approach. You would need to be here to coordinate those efforts.”

The whispers sounded playful. Lenya was now in a good mood. Ramos replied, “I knew you would like to have a chance to play with her. By the way, my sources told me that the Winchesters have left?”

The whispers were still playful. Ramos could swear that he heard Lenya’s trademark girlish giggling. Working with her wasn’t half bad. He replied, “Then we can expect them within a day, two at the most? Excellent. Just for that, I think I’ll have to expand the fun I was planning. Would you like to join me for lunch?”

The whispers came with the girlish giggles. Ramos knew that Lenya would be thrilled to see him work his magic on these meatbags. She was always up for a little blood, maybe other appetites to be satisfied. He grinned as he heard the answer. He replied, “I’m glad you’ll be able to come.” He then noticed that his phone light was blinking. He said, “I have to go now. Gotta keep up the plan.”

The playful whispers came like a caress as they left. Ramos still had his inky black eyes when he answered the phone, “Yes?”

_Your client is here to see you._

Ramos contemplated for a moment. He was in a generous mood. Maybe he could reward his secretary. It might make her feel better about the whole thing. He replied, “Send her up.”

It was five minutes later when Ramos, demon eye free, welcomed the daughter of his client in. She was a weeping piece of work but she was a looker to Ramos’ critical eye. Yes certainly he was in a good mood. He put on his best sympathetic face and went to work consoling the weeping bitch. He led her to the chair across from his desk and indicated that she should sit in it. He sat on the edge of his desk facing her and listened to her beg him to do anything he could to get her father off. She offered everything she owned.

This amused Ramos greatly. He had seen many different displays of filial loyalty and other forms of loyalty and sticking up for those that supposedly meant a great deal. In the end it was nothing but shit. When it came down to it, the meatbags only cared about themselves. He had yet to see true selflessness. He smiled at the girl and said, “Now it’s okay. The charges are serious since your father did bludgeon to death Mrs. Ferguson. However, if we plead not guilty by reason of mental defect, I am sure that something can be worked out in his favor.”

“Thank you.”

Ramos smiled. Now was the time to bite. “Now it’s going to require a lot of work and a bit of sacrifice. Are you willing to go all the way to help your father?”

“Yes I’ll give you anything. Just help my father.”

Ramos gave a slight nod as he smiled. “Alright. That will be sufficient.” He raised his hand and with a slight twist of his wrist, the sickening crack of bone breaking filled the room. He looked at the body now slumped over in his chair as he released the fake smile that he had been holding. He pressed the speaker on his phone and said, “Get your old bag of bones up here. I have a reward for you.”

****

Natalia had finished her shopping and was starting to walk back to the shop that she ran with her grandmother. They sold Native American crafts as well as supplies for various rituals of her grandmother’s tribe as well as a few others. She had grown up after her parents died in a car crash leaving her orphaned and alone at the age of three. Her grandmother took her in and Natalia grew up happy.

She had learned much from her grandmother about her heritage and when she got married and had Jerry, she was happy. However when her husband died from some mysterious circumstances, she felt that her world had crumbled. She went back to live with her grandmother and it worked out in the end. She helped run the store and they made a pretty good living. It was enough to pay the modest bills since they lived at the back of the shop and the building was bought and paid for. Life was good except for the recent murders.

Natalia hadn’t been able to sleep since that night and she often had dreams and nightmares. Her grandmother often asked her if she had any but Natalia never elaborated on them. She could tell that it disappointed her grandmother but she could hardly tell her that she had been seeing some strange things happening. She tended to forget that her grandmother was more in tune to the strange and unusual. She was just grateful that Jerry would be able to benefit from her wisdom as much as she did.

Natalia didn’t bother to announce her presence since her grandmother always seemed to know when she came and went. It didn’t fail when she heard, “You bring the milk?”

Natalia smiled, “Yes Nana.” She set the bags on the table in the back room as she hung up her coat. She was wearing a peasant blouse and blue jeans along with some traditional jewelry her grandmother had made. Her long, dark hair was parted and braided into two braids that came over her shoulders. It was a little bit of a stereotype but it helped sell things especially for the tourists and with Nana wearing the same hairstyle with a dress like they show, they were able to make a tidy living. She pulled the milk out and carried it to the kitchen to put in the fridge. She then went to check on her baby who was fast asleep.

Besides Nana, Jerry was the only family that she had. She had no idea what she would do if she didn’t have him around. She fell in love with him the moment she saw him when he was placed in her arms. She listened to him breathe and could hear that his lungs were doing better meaning that he was getting over that cold. She made sure that he was still asleep before going back up to the counter. Her grandmother was already up there as she started fixing some of the flyers that had been mussed.

“You are troubled. He bothered you again?”

Natalia didn’t have to ask her grandmother to clarify who she was talking about. Instead she just replied, “He was polite and he mentioned that he would try his best to get Mr. Hartshorne off but he still strikes me as off.”

“Dark things about him.”

“Nana, you’ve known him for years. He probably is just occupied and maybe it’s from his time away at college.”

Her grandmother clucked in a disapproving tone but didn’t say anything. At the moment the bell rang to indicate that a customer was entering the store. Natalia went to greet the customer who was a young man with rather messy light brown hair and hazel green eyes that appeared to have a bored expression but they had a twinge of alertness. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and was dressed in jeans, t-shirt and a jacket complete with workman’s boots. Natalia caught a glimpse of the bus that was beginning to pull out. She smiled and said, “Hello, how can I help you?”

The young man gave a polite smile and asked, “I’m new in town and I was wondering if there was someone who needed hired help.”

Natalia was about to answer when her grandmother came out from behind the counter to look at the young man. Natalia gave an apologetic look to the young man while her grandmother began her poking and prodding with the walking stick. Finally the old woman said, “Good boy, good worker. Tell him where.” The old woman then turned and walked towards the counter to take care of some little thing.

The young man gave a look that would have been acceptable to the situation. He said, “I guess she’s the authority on all newcomers?” He gave a slight laugh as he shuffled on his feet. He ran a hand through his short messy locks, making them even messier.

Natalia replied with a smile, “She is a good judge of people. Most folks trust her judgment.”

“That’s a good thing to have,” the young man replied with a smile, “I’m Austin by the way.” He held out his hand.

“Natalia,” Natalia replied taking the proffered hand in a handshake. She liked the young man who was so polite for someone obviously bumming his way across the States. She added, “Old Mad Johnson was in here yesterday, he posted an announcement for hired help. He owns a ranch.” Natalia reached over and picked up the flyer and handed it to him. “You might find him in the diner.”

Austin took the flyer. “Thanks. I’ll go there now.” He turned to leave.

When he was gone, Natalia couldn’t help but smile some more as she went back to work. “He seems like a nice sort.”

“Nice boy.”

Natalia smiled at her grandmother as she picked up a duster and began to dust the cases. “You could have at least not made it look like you were searching for the perfect herb in the garden.”

The old woman said nothing but made rumbling noises. Natalia just smiled and looked towards the door when something startled her. Sitting on one of the cases that held the traditional jewelry her grandmother made was an eagle. It was looking at her with an intense look but also a sad one. Natalia blinked and then it was gone.

“Something bothers you?”

Natalia looked towards her grandmother. She was holding Jerry who was wide awake and sipping from the bottle she had gotten. “I thought I saw something Nana. Is he hungry? I can take care of it.”

“He is fine. The question is whether or not you are fine.”

Natalia just looked at her grandmother as she looked back. That was a good question.

****

The breeze was a welcome one as it blew through the Impala while it ate up the miles. It was rather quiet though save for the sound of the Led Zeppelin album playing on the radio. Occasionally Dean would hum to the tune of one of the songs. In fact he was the only one who made an audible sound. Both Sam and Angela hadn’t said a thing since they left the motel.

Dean glanced in the rearview mirror at Angela. She was asleep on the backseat and it wasn’t the light sleep she did when they usually traveled. She was in a deep sleep and judging from the position, she seemed pretty comfortable. _She was right when she said that one of those settee things was luxury_ , he thought as he focused on the road ahead. He then glanced at his brother Sam who was in a deep sleep himself.

Dean was tempted to play a prank on Sam to wake him up but he relented since the kid had a bad night. At least they finally got to talk about it after he behaved like an ass. Dean frowned as he drove the car. He had no idea why he had been angry at all. What puzzled him was the lack of reaction from Angela. It was almost as if she wanted to hear the abuse he hurled at her. He knew Sam had been bothered by it and made it known.

Dean recalled that conversation. He saw how hard Sam was trying to not be angry with him as he asked him why he was acting worse than a jerk. Then Dean owed it to him to be honest and when he told Sam that he didn’t know, Sam had been confused. Thinking about it know, Dean wondered if it really was because of Sam’s initial refusal to talk about his nightmare. He didn’t know anymore but whatever Angela did, it calmed him down and he was no longer angry.

Sam made a muttering noise under his breath and Dean glanced his way. He heard Sam say something again and turned down the music. “Stop,” Sam mumbled, “N’ stop n’ car.”

Dean frowned at his brother’s words. He was obviously dreaming of something but of what Dean could only guess. Sam had told him that he had seen the yellow eyed demon in his nightmare and it made Dean wonder if he was dreaming of the demon doing something like torturing him. Dean began to worry about it. Usually when Sam had nightmares of this variety, they were akin to visions and they did come true. He remembered when they met Andy.

“I know you are worried. I would be too.”

Dean looked in the mirror to find that Angela had woken up and had shifted her position. He couldn’t help it, “How long you’ve been awake?”

Angela gave a yawn. She was still feeling tired but something told her that she should wake up. When she did, she saw Dean’s worried frown in the rearview mirror and she heard Sam muttering in his sleep. She replied, “Just woke up.” She sat up to stretch what she could.

“Oh.” Dean felt like an idiot and it annoyed him.

“It’s alright Dean,” Angela replied. “You want to talk about it?”

Before Dean could answer, Sam started mumbling again but it was more fervent. He was saying that someone was coming and that they were going to kill someone. He was going to shake Sam awake when Angela leaned forward. She began humming a tune that sounded familiar to Dean right in Sam’s ear. When Sam began to calm down and eventually settle back to sleep, Dean found his voice, “What did you do?”

“Just humming a tune that I remembered my mother used to sing to me when I was a girl… a long time ago,” Angela replied softly as she backed away. “When I had a bad dream, she used to sing a song, an old one. It was soothing.” She glanced at Dean and added, “Did I overstep my bounds?”

“No,” Dean admitted staring straight ahead. “Thanks and you are right. I am worried. Yellow Eyes has some big plan and Sam is a part of it. I… don’t know what to do.”

“Tell me.” Angela watched as Dean began to relax after reassuring himself that Sam was all right. Sleep could wait for now. She would listen.


	5. Chapter 5

“Rise and shine Sammy.”

Sam jerked awake when he felt his shoulder shaken. He grunted, “N’ what?”

Dean was grinning as he watched his brother wake up. He certainly was in a better mood after his talk with Angela. He glanced in the back to see that she was fast asleep on the back seat still grinning. He looked back as Sam who was rubbing his eyes and said, “Enjoy being Sleeping Beauty?”

“Eat me,” Sam replied as he stretched. “We there yet?”

Dean replied, “Yeah, just pulled in time for a late lunch.”

“Not surprised,” Sam replied as he opened his door to get out. “Not with the way you drive.”

“Like you can do any better,” Dean came back, losing his grin.

“Dean you hardly let me drive this thing. Heck if you had a choice, you would have Angie drive before you let me touch the steering wheel.” Sam looked at Dean through the door before shutting it. He said it in a kidding manner but it could easily be taken the wrong way.

Dean retorted, “So? You talk to Angie before me about important things like dreams.”

Sam rolled his eyes in annoyance, “Are we back to that again? Dean you’re blowing this way out of proportion.” He shut the door of the Impala too late to realize that Angela was still asleep in the backseat. He checked to see if she had been awakened but she was still sleeping soundly and he frowned.  Certainly the arguing would have woken her up.

“Really Sam?” Dean got out of the car and slammed his door.

“Dean.” Sam implored with his eyes to have some consideration for the sleeping passenger.

“She needs to wake up anyway,” Dean replied. He opened the back door and started to shake Angela by the shoulder rougher than he intended.

****

_The town of Hudson was empty. The wind was blowing the dust across the street like it was some old Western film. Angela walked down the main street looking around. The buildings looked empty but Angela thought she saw people in the windows but they were shadows. The wind was full of whispers and they were directing her to one building. She followed._

_It was a medium sized store. The sign read The Plains Folk Native American Store. Angela studied the sign a little before she walked into the store. When she walked in, it was dark in the building. She could see that the sky was pitch black night. Suddenly a sound diverted her attention._

_Angela whirled around to see a girl with dark hair in twin braids over her shoulders. She was screaming in terror at a woman who came at her. Taking a closer look, Angela recognized the inky black eyes of the demon. Her reaction was fast as she sprung forward only to find that she fell through the images she saw._

_Confused Angela turned in her spot on the floor. She saw as the girl backed up against the wall with a terrified expression on her face. The demon advanced forward with a malicious look on her face. The girl was trying to beg, almost as if she knew the demon or rather the human the demon was riding. When the demon responded as only a demon could the girl backed up but her back hit a wall._

_The demon then started to laugh and she said something. She advanced with every intent on killing the girl. The girl raised her hands up and begged the demon to stop. When the demon advanced forward the girl shouted at her to stop and pushed forward with her hands. The demon went flying backwards towards Angela…_

****

Angela started opening her eyes to the rough shaking of her shoulders. Before her eyes were fully open, she had given a kick with her left foot and had sprung out of the car drawing the switchblade she kept in her pocket. She landed on someone and pinned him to the ground and held the switchblade to the neck.

“Angie.” Then a hand closed gently on her shoulder.

Angela’s vision cleared and she saw that she was on top of Dean, holding her switchblade to his neck. Sam was gripping her shoulder but gently. She clasped her knife shut and stood up. “Sorry Dean.” She held out her hand to help him up.

Dean had completely forgotten that Angela reacted as if her life were in danger if woken up too suddenly. He was already agitated that Sam brought up the incident at the motel earlier so by shaking her roughly awake, he was setting himself up for another tackle session. He didn’t expect her to pull a knife though and he glared up at her even though he could see she was still in the process of waking up. He was even angrier when all Sam did was touch her on the shoulder. It agitated him enough to smack her hand away and get up on his own. “Whatever trigger happy harpy.” He dusted his clothes off.

“Dean,” Sam said through gritted teeth.

Angela raised her brow slightly. Dean called her names in a playful manner but it was a first that he did it completely pissed. Oh he used his colorful vocabulary on others he was pissed with. This raised a red flag in her mind but she wasn’t going to make an issue of it. The best thing she could do was try to diffuse the situation. She watched as the brothers glared at each other, unaware that Sam still had a hand on her shoulder.

“What Sam? We’re here and we’ve got a case.”

“You know how Angie reacts if you startle her.”

Angela sighed. Her habits really needed to be changed or modified. She said, “Alright stop it both of you. Dean I’m sorry about that. I know I have issues about being woken up like that. It’s a work in progress.”

“Yeah like you’re really trying,” Dean muttered as he rubbed his chest where she kicked him. It wasn’t hard but it still hurt.

“Four hundred years on the job and you pick up habits that define the difference between life and death,” Angela replied with annoyance. Now she was having to justify everything? “That kind of thing you can’t just turn off and on like the damn radio of this girl.” She gave a hard thump to the roof of the Impala.

“Hey don’t you hit my baby.”

“Hit? That was a love pat. Believe me if I wanted to hurt her, I would have put a lot more force behind it or driven it to a nearby wash right before a huge rainstorm.” Angela narrowed her eyes in a warning. This was just like when they first met. The suspicions were high then.

“You wouldn’t.” Dean was ready to throw a punch.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Angela retorted, “Like I would hurt something as beautiful as her. A newer model maybe but not her. You should know that by now since I’ve been giving her a spit and shine every time we get a chance.” She then looked up and said, “You know what. I have no idea why we are even having this conversation. I’m going for a walk and you just go maybe stuff your face with a cheeseburger and maybe we could get back to talking like civilized people.”

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t sure what was going on except for the fact that Angela and Dean were going at it over her tackling him. The last time that happened, Dean actually indulged in an idle fantasy and she teased him about it. Now this was a complete turnaround. He was about to say something when Angela took off down the street. He turned to his brother and said, “Couldn’t you at least not insult her, Dean? You know as well as I that she…”

“That’s twice, Sam,” Dean replied using his two fingers to emphasize his point.

“Yeah and the last time I could tell you were confusing porn with reality again,” Sam replied.

“And you were laughing your ass off.”

“Dude, I was laughing because she laid your ass flat and I warned you.”

Dean couldn’t find anything to retort to that. He did the next best thing and that was follow the call of his stomach. He turned towards the diner that he parked in front of and started walking. “Come on Sam. Let Angie talk her emo walk.”

Sam sighed in annoyance as he followed his brother. Part of him wanted to follow Angela and check on her but he was also concerned about Dean. Ever since this morning he had been on an emotional roller coaster that was highly unusual for even Dean. Then there was the fact that Angela more likely spent half the night up like he did and yet she was focusing more on his and Dean’s problems.

As he followed, he thought about what he had been dreaming about in the car. At first he dreamt about being in the Impala and heading towards her in the chair but then the person switched to a girl with twin braids over her shoulders. He looked to see a red haired girl driving the Impala and her eyes were inky black.  He shouted for the car to stop. Then he heard someone singing and what he was dreaming about melted away. He had never heard the song before and the voice was pleasant like… Angela’s?

He was so deep into thought that he accidentally bumped into someone sitting at the counter that was just getting up. Realizing that he bumped into someone, he looked and apologized to the guy, “I’m sorry.”

The guy brushed his jacket to wipe off the spilled coffee. “Asshole.”

Sam closed his mouth and tried to keep his tone civil. He didn’t flinch as the guy stood up and looked him in the eye. If Dean were paying attention, he would have made some joke about finding another person freakishly huge just like him. “Look I said I was sorry.”

The guy took a step forward and pushed him saying, “And you think that solves everything, Pretty Boy?”

“Don’t do that,” Sam warned.

The guy replied, “Or else?” He then gave Sam another push. This time it was hard enough for Sam to bump into an empty table.

“Look I don’t want any trouble.  Just let me get you another cup of coffee,” Sam replied trying to placate the guy. He motioned to the waitress to get another cup.

“You spilled my coffee.” Suddenly the guy lunged at Sam and grabbed him by his jacket and threw him across the room and into another table, sending silverware flying. The table fell hitting a chair, pushing it into the way of a waitress carrying a pitcher of coffee. The coffee spilled onto a couple of women. They stood up and started whaling on the waitress. They bumped into a couple of guys that bumped into Dean. Dean tried to push them off but they took offense and started to engage in a two on one.

Meanwhile the initial fight between Sam and the guy he bumped into was in full swing. The guy had grabbed a broken leg of a chair and was swinging it at Sam. He landed a couple of hard blows onto Sam, one landed on his chest with the jagged edge leaving a sizeable gash. Another blow hit his forearm leaving a welt.

Sam tried to defend himself against the guy while trying to calm him down. However that seemed to make the guy angrier and swing harder. Sam tried to protect his forearm and chest while he tried to make it towards his brother to grab him and leave. He found him going at it with two guys. One was holding his brother and the other was punching him. “Dean!” He then had an idea.

Dean was fighting off the two guys that bumped into him and started swinging. One had him in a bear hug and the other was digging his fists into his stomach. Dean grunted as he felt the punches dig into his stomach. He already had a beating to the face and he felt the cut on his forehead. The guy punching him then got ready to punch him again in the face when a chair leg came crashing down on the guy’s head. It was followed through with Sam coming back up with his good arm and punching the guy holding Dean across the face.

“I could’ve taken him Sam.”

Sam gave his brother a look and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the exit. His initial attacker was clubbing the guy he hit with the chair leg. They barely made it out when they were encountered by the sheriff and his men telling them to show their hands while others went in to stop what was going on in the diner. Sam looked at his brother and raised his hands as best as he could while Dean followed suit muttering, “Angie better have money for bail.”

****

Ramos sat near the back of the diner closest to the window that had a good view of the front of the diner. He had made the Winchesters the moment he saw the Impala pull in. He had been standing outside when they pulled in and he could tell that his earlier dose had worn out and no doubt in part to the hell bitch. _Well time to turn the heat back on._ Ramos grinned as he reached for the ring that was on his right ring finger.

He didn’t need the ring but when he discovered its ability to amplify certain abilities, he used it whenever he needed to make a grandstand. He watched as he rubbed the band and rotated it while whispering in the correct language. He watched as a little thing turned into an argument. It was classic when the bitch smacked the roof of the car. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he went into the diner. As he walked by the patron at the counter, he let his talents leech out. He then sat down and waited for the fun to begin.

It almost got out of control when one of his toys gashed the younger Winchester so he lightened it up a bit. He did give a passive dose to the elder Winchester. It would set off later with the right conditions. Right now he needed Lenya to relay the plan. He glanced down at his suit. He might ditch this meat suit for another just to confuse the Winchester boys. Besides it was possible that Sammy boy might have had a vision with him in his current form.

The sound of sirens diverted Ramos’ attention and he watched as the Winchesters and the rest of the patrons were taken into custody. Well the ones that weren’t dead. He grinned as he gave doses to the sheriff’s deputies. That would create plenty of fun in the jail. He didn’t have to look when someone joined him and asked, “You called?”

He turned to look at Lenya who had taken a seat next to him and was sipping an iced tea. He smiled and replied, “Indeed. It seems my candidate for your… sister is more susceptible than I thought but it will do. Watching them argue was… profitable.”

“I saw your work earlier. Brilliant. Now what do you need me for?”

Ramos smiled, “I thought you would never ask my dear. A case like this requires a push in a certain direction… a particular talent of yours.”

****

Austin had gone into the diner earlier to look for Old Man Johnson. The waitress told him that he was at the garage getting his truck tuned up or something. Smiling his best smile, he managed to get the location out of the girl and left the diner. He looked around at the buildings. He had only been in town for maybe an hour and already he got the feeling that there was something out of place. He passed by a pair of guys heading towards the diner. When he passed by he paused and turned to take a look.

Austin watched the tall one follow the shorter one into the diner. He could tell that the taller one was hesitant about something but following, probably out of loyalty. If he had to venture a guess, they were brothers and out a quirk of fate, the tall one was the younger brother. It didn’t surprise Austin since he had met his fair share of siblings that were like that. Yet there was something…

Austin looked around. There was something else here but he had no idea what. It was vaguely familiar but different. He felt the familiar stirrings of fear that he thought had been long gone. He brushed it off. He had a job to do and that was to find Old Mad Johnson and see him about a job. He needed the job and the money if he was to survive.

He continued along his way, following the girl’s directions to McGinty’s Garage. He found it rather strange that someone with Irish origins would be living in some place like Wyoming especially where an Indian reservation was. Then again it was rather humorous too. He found the garage and found a rugged old man talking to a middle aged man that had a bit of a hefty look to him. If he had to take a guess, the old man was Old Mad Johnson. He walked up to the old man just after two police vehicles passed by. He frowned and would have followed but the old man spotted him and was looking at him with a scrutinizing look.

Austin just bore with ignoring the curiosity and went towards the old man, “Mr. Johnson?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I’m here about a job…”

****

Angela walked through the streets of town at a fast pace vaguely troubled. Part of it was the fact that she had been exchanging words with Dean like she did when they first met. Thing was that she said things to rile him up intentionally. This time though it was reaction. She reacted to Dean’s accusations as if he had insulted her. She took insults better than that. In fact this seemed familiar to another hunt a long time ago.

_Angela was standing by the Impala with her arms crossed more because it was cold even though she was wearing a wool coat than she was annoyed at the situation. She had been asked to help in this hunt by John Winchester and she agreed since she found out that one of the more troublesome monsters she had been after was involved. The bonus was that she would have a chance to catch one of Azazel’s minions._

_John Winchester shut the trunk of the Impala and handed her a shotgun. “Here.”_

_“So I take it we want them alive for the usual?” She took the shotgun and checked her load before accepting spare rounds to put in her pockets. The snow started to fall, the flakes catching in her hair._

_“Try to. Just don’t pump him full of rock salt so that his innards boil.” John gave her a knowing look that bordered on a firm look._

_“Last time the demon didn’t take the option. He attacked me.” Angela looked at John with a firm look while her breath came out in hot clouds of air. “Rules of engagement is my policy. You should know that.”_

_“We want this one alive. It’s one step closer to the demon that killed Mary.”_

_“Don’t remind me, John,” Angela replied as she followed John to the cabin where their target was holed up._

_Later when they had the demon tied to a chair within a devil’s trap, Angela was interrogating the demon. They managed to find out that there was no activity regarding Azazel but that there was a new demon raising up excitement. The demon’s mouth as dripping blood from the heavy punching Angela had given him. He was laughing, “You think you’re going to stop him? He’s gone into hiding. Now there’s a new boss in town and she’s looking for you.”_

_“I’ve heard that line before,” Angela replied._

_The demon laughed, “Oh but she is looking especially for you. Payback for killing a cousin. She said you’d remember.”_

_After exorcising the demon John demanded to know about what the demon meant. Of course she skated the issue and that caused a shouting match. John then said, “No wonder Mary wanted to get away from you.”_

_“Maybe you’re right. I’m out. Don’t call me unless you are pretty much dying.”_

Of course that didn’t keep. As always, she came back. Angela gave a wry smile. It was always said that Sam was more like John than Dean who worshipped the ground he walked on. Truth was they both had qualities that were John Winchester. It was funny how those memories were coming up now plus the dreams or visions. She still wasn’t sure about those.

The main problem was still the emotions and Angela was determined to never get between Sam and Dean. She had been watching them since they were kids and she saw that bond between them. She still had the letters Mary had sent her regarding the boys like when Dean took his first step, the day that he learned he had a baby brother and other things up until a few days before she died. Angela had never replied keeping steadfast in her self-imposed role at least by letters or phone calls. She had made herself known in other ways as part of her promise.

Angela made a turn down the main street of town. She passed by a man in a suit and something washed over her, like a feeling of some sort. She felt slightly dizzy and closed her eyes to prevent herself from passing out. She then felt something like something was behind her. She whipped around quick to find that no one was there but she did see some of the townspeople out and about. They were looking at her as she passed. She gave a quick smile and continued on her walk. She turned a corner to back track to the Impala. She had been gone long enough and maybe Dean was cooled down enough.

As she walked down the street she came across a place that looked like it was a motel. She went in to inquire and found that indeed it was a motel. Thinking to be nice and take care of a chore, she asked for two rooms and paid with cash for a week. She was issued the keys for the rooms and she pocketed them after smiling at the clerk. She mentioned that she would be back later and walked out. Once out on the street, she looked around. She was not familiar with the town but she was certain that she would be able to make it back to the diner.

Walking back in the general direction of the diner, she realized that she was on the same street as she was in her dream. The difference was that there weren’t and tumbleweeds blowing around or anything like that. She wondered if her mind was adding in things or if she was reminiscing on a Western that Dean insisted on watching one night. That was a moot point though when she stopped in front of the store that was in her dream. Everything was exact about the store.

Angela stood staring at the building. She glanced down and saw that the sign said that they were open until six. It was late afternoon so there was still some time to go in and inspect it. She was debating whether or not to go in when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out and glanced at the number. Not recognizing it, she debated on letting it go to voice mail. Yet something told her that it was not someone making a crank call or a mistaken number. She flipped it open and answered, “This is Angela.”

_Uh Angie…_

Angela frowned slightly at the tone. Something was up. “Sam?”

_We need some help._

“Alright, what’s the problem?”


	6. Chapter 6

Sam glanced over at the deputies that were looking at him with suspicion as he made his phone call. He turned his attention back to the call even though it was awkward to hold the phone now that his hands were cuffed together. He tried to make it sound like it was nothing under the impression of trying not to cause Angela to be concerned. He said, “Um we’ve been arrested.”

_What happened?_

Sam gave a slight sigh of relief and replied, “Nothing really. It’s a bit complicated.”

_What’s complicated about the reason why you’ve been arrested?”_

“Angie, I’d rather tell you in person and without an audience. I think it might have to do with why we are here.” Sam looked around. One of the deputies was looking at him intently. Sam made a point to ignore him while he added, “You know the job?”

_I understand. What do you need?_

“We could use your help in getting bailed out.”

_No problem. You and Dean just sit tight and I’ll be over there._

“Thanks Angie.”

_Hang tight._

Sam listened until the click came that signified the phone had been hung up. He gave a slight smile with his mouth as he handed the phone to the deputy. He allowed the deputy to lay the rules down and followed his lead when beckoned to stand up and walk. Right now he and Dean couldn’t afford to make a scene. He let the deputy lead him back to the holding cell that he had been sharing with his brother. As soon as he was seated he said, “Angie will be right over.”

“Great, Sammy. At least she is useful for something,” Dean replied as he held a cloth to the cut on his forehead. “How’s the chest?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Just a scratch. I’ll be fine.” It was true and his forearm was just sore. If anything once Angela bailed them out, they would be patched up in no time. That was if Dean didn’t throw a fit over that. He asked, “You okay?”

“Just peachy. I just love getting jumped by douches I don’t even know. Did Angie say how long?”

“No.”

Dean made a noise. “Great this is payback for earlier.” He held his head with the towel he had been given.

Sam frowned and replied, “Give her more credit than that Dean. She’s not petty.”

“You would know. You’re that tight with her. More than your own brother.”

Sam heaved a sigh. “Dean it’s not like that and you know it. What is up with you? You’ve been this way since this morning when I didn’t want to talk about my nightmare.”

Dean felt a comment rise but he didn’t utter it. Sam was right about the fact that he had been out of sorts since that morning. Yet he still felt like he needed to throw a punch at something or someone. For some reason, the more convenient target was Angela since she was new and half the time she didn’t bite back. There was no chance to talk since one of the ladies that had been in the brawl started talking, “Not a nice thing to keep family out of the loop.”

Dean looked at the woman, “Exactly.”

Sam said nothing but scowled at his brother. Dean ignored it and asked, “Hey you okay? Looked like you had a rough tumble in the diner.”

The woman laughed, “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Reminds me of the time I visited some bar and got into a fight. There were two that were very good. One was a tall girl and the other was a type of grizzled guy with dark hair and brown eyes.” She continued to describe the guy mostly and occasionally threw in some description of the girl until she was called up since she was bailed out.

Once she left, Dean scooted closer to Sam and whispered, “You hear everything she was describing?”

“Yeah a bar fight and a guy that matches Dad’s description,” Sam replied frowning slightly. “It shouldn’t be a big surprise Dean.”

“But did hear about his partner or did you miss the part about the fact that she just described Angie?”

Sam looked at his brother and replied, “Dean she could have been describing anybody. For we know she just wanted to pass the time chatting.”

“Come on Sam. The description of Dad is right on. Don’t tell me that you don’t think…”

“Dean, you know as well as we just can’t start accusing people. We just have to ask her.”

Dean would have said more but the deputy came and said, “Hey, you two. Get up.”

Sam looked at his brother. “See?” Sam went first to lead the way. The deputy uncuffed him and motioned him to go to the front desk. He did the same thing with Dean and he followed the brothers to the front desk. The first person that Sam saw was Angela dressed in her suit and filling out paperwork. He gave a frown at her as he watched her chat with the sheriff.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience here ma’am. We just rounded up everyone that was in the diner.” The sheriff looked nervous as he watched the woman in the suit finish filling out the paperwork for the two boys’ release. He had no idea that they were with a federal agency. “Honesty if they had shown ID we would have had them out quicker.”

“I’m sure you did your job correctly,” Angela replied not looking at the sheriff. It had been a sudden idea of hers since it would be hard to explain why she was bailing them out. She continued, “Though I’m not sure how I am able to salvage this case since they were supposed to be undercover as regular folks in your town.”

“If it helps, their IDs that we booked them under are their cover IDs. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to keep them in.”

Angela finished signing the last bit of paperwork and handed it over to the clerk. She looked up to see Dean sporting a cut and a bump on the head and Sam looked all right except that he was rubbing his forearm. She then said, “Thank you for your cooperation Sheriff. You two, follow me.” She beckoned Sam and Dean to follow and turned to leave.

As Sam and Dean followed, one of the deputies muttered, “I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side.” Then another said, “They are so whipped.”

It wasn’t until they were outside where she parked the Impala that anyone dared to say anything. Angela didn’t hand the keys over but instead got in the driver’s seat. When they didn’t move she gave a motion to the window and they got in. She drove the car out of the lot and down to where she got the rooms. Sam was the one who said, “Thanks for bailing us out, Angie.” He glanced back at Dean.

“Yeah thanks.”

“No problem. Sorry that it took some time but I needed to get a story together and this was the best I could come up with.” Angela made a turn and pulled in front of the motel.

“It’s fine,” Sam replied. He opened the door to go and check in. He was stopped when a key was held out to him. The other was tossed back to Dean. Sam looked at the key he was handed and gave a slight shake of his head in an ‘oh well’ gesture towards Dean and got out. Talk about efficiency.

****

It was dark when Angela entered the motel carrying a back of foodstuffs. She knew that the boys wouldn’t want to go back to the diner after what happened earlier and she couldn’t let them starve either. She stood at their door and listened in. Judging from the sounds, they were in the middle of a discussion and it bordered on an argument. It was enough for her to hesitate but she followed through and gave a knock.

It was Sam that opened the door, though peeking in, Angela could tell that Dean was not in a mood to be talked to. She made it quick, “Hey, brought dinner.” She held out the bag.

“Um thanks,” Sam replied taking the bag. He paused when she reached in and pulled out the cheap sandwich she bought and took a step back. He asked in a low voice, “You’re not joining us?”

Angela smiled, “Not this time Sam. See you later.” She gave a wave with the sandwich and walked down the hall to her room. She entered her room and shut the door, tossing her sandwich onto the table in her room. It wasn’t much but it would do. She sighed as she leaned against the door.

“Rough day, little sister?”

Angela reacted quickly and pulled the gun she had stashed by the door. She pointed it at the source of the voice and narrowed her eyes. She could see the familiar shape in the shadows. She replied, “About as rough as any job.” She moved forward still pointing her gun at the intruder. “I thought I warned you to stay away from me Lenya.”

Lenya looked at Angela with a smile and let out a slight giggle. She was impressed with little sister’s reaction. She replied, “And I told you about pushing the players in the right direction. If I were you, I would put that thing down. Guns are so uncivilized.”

Angela didn’t lower her gun. It was loaded with special shot that could kill anything and she was not above giving a nice hole in one of Lenya’s limbs. She replied, “So says Obi-Wan in Star Wars but that’s not going to fly here. What are you doing here… hell bitch?”

Lenya smirked. She loved it when little sister got angry. It only made her susceptible to doing things that she would never do under her usual demeanor. She replied, “As I said, pushing the players in the right direction. You are obviously here because of the stuff going on in this town.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Angela replied keeping her gun pointed at Lenya. She narrowed her eyes as she narrowed the distance between the two of them. They were both equally fast in reactions but Angela wanted to put odds in her favor just in case.

Lenya didn’t move as she watched little sister. She replied, “You’ll find out eventually that things happen for a purpose.” She paused to study little sister. She then said, “The purpose though usually has other players that you have to look for.”

“Basic rules of investigation; that’s second nature,” Angela replied. She then gave off a chuckle mingled with a grin. “And I’m not going to walk that road with you.”

“You don’t have to little sister,” Lenya replied after giving a girlish chuckle. It was laced with a malicious tone to it. “Surely you’ve noticed that there seems to be a case of high tempers even with your dear little Deanie.”

Angela narrowed her eyes, tempted to squeeze the trigger. She raised her gun up a little but still in the general range of Lenya’s heart. She said, “A few rude ones and a bad day.”

Lenya couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh little sister you see it but you refuse to acknowledge it. You must really want to protect them but from what I wager?” Lenya put her hand up in an inquisitive gesture. This time she moved forward saying, “Oh I think I know what…” She reached to touch Angela.

Angela’s reaction was lightning quick as she grabbed Lenya’s wrist. She glared with her eyes as glowing orbs. “Don’t…” Suddenly there was a pounding in her head and she let go of Lenya to put her hand to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out the pain but it was too hard. She looked at Lenya who was smiling her malicious smile that Angela that she was the one behind the headache. She gritted her teeth and said, “What…”

Lenya chuckled, “Little sister, I warned you guns were uncivilized but as usual you decided to ignore the warning. A typical thing in your case in which you happen to threaten me, your beloved sister.”

Angela gritted her teeth as she kneeled on the floor. The pain was getting too much to bear. Holding her hands to the side of her head, she retorted, “You are not my sister… bitch.”

Lenya kneeled down to meet Angela at eye level. She lessened up so that little sister could look at her without the pain but just enough to keep her subdued for the time being. She deliberately touched Angela by the chin and held it between her thumb and forefinger. “Semantics aside, I will put it out straight for you: Get ready to have old wounds opened.” Lenya then smiled wryly and added, “You, as a healer should know the dangers of opening old wounds. It will be a bitter pill for them to swallow if they were to find out from someone other than you.”

Angela looked at Lenya in the eye. She narrowed her eyes. As much as she wanted to hit Lenya, she couldn’t. Whatever Lenya was doing to her, it was enough to distract her with the mind numbing pain that she couldn’t think about anything else except for maybe what Lenya was telling her. What the bitch was telling her was clearly a threat to her. She managed to say, “If you harm them, you’ll never be rid of me. One day I’ll kill you.”

Lenya smiled. She knew that Angela would say things but whether or not she carried them out was another story. What she didn’t know was that Angela always kept her word no matter what. She was just unconventional when it came to some of her methods. At this point however for Lenya she was setting the groundwork for teaching a very important lesson. She replied, “I have no doubt that one day you’ll work up the stones to kill me but you are a long way from that little sister… just as you are a long way from understanding the purpose of this.” She released Angela’s chin and stood up. She upped the ante with a slight twist of her hand and watched as Angela gripped her head. Suddenly she swooped down and gave a hard punch to Angela’s face, knocking her out completely. Lenya straightened out her figure and looked down at the sprawled out figure on the floor.

Angela was out on the ground. She would not be going anywhere for a while. At least not until morning. Her mental work and the hit to the head would help with that. Lenya smiled a slow smile, one that her minions would fear and said, “Sleep tight little sister. I hope you have ‘sweet’ dreams.” Lenya then walked towards the door. She opened it and walked down the hall pausing slightly at the door of the Winchesters to listen. What she heard made her smile and then she continued to walk down the hall out of the motel.

****

It was the sound of crying that woke up Natalia. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up groggily. She went to bed late, troubled by what she saw in the store earlier. Of course her grandmother pestered her throughout the rest of the day, asking her what she saw. She of course kept telling her grandmother not to worry about it and that she could handle it herself.

Natalia walked over to where Jerry was in his crib crying. She could tell that he was wet and picked him up to change him. She smiled and made sounds to calm her baby down. She heard him give a cough and saw that he was getting phlegmy again. Once she finished, she picked the baby up and proceeded to give him some cough syrup for the congestion. She thanked God that she had a doctor’s appointment first thing in the morning. Once Jerry had calmed down and was asleep, she put him back in his crib. By then, she was wide awake and needed something to get back to sleep.

She went to the kitchen to make some warmed milk the way her grandmother used to when she woke up from a bad dream. It was easy to make and she had enough for a glass on the stove heating up. All she had to do was wait until it was ready. Out of habit, she picked up the paperback that she left in the kitchen to read when she made their meals. She thumbed to the last place she left off of and started to read. She chuckled a bit at the memory of her grandmother telling her that such a story was a silly one and not true.

The paperback was a romance novel. Natalia read them to tease her grandmother often. Her grandmother was not into silly nonsense as she called it and would say that Natalia should spend more time learning the old stories and the old ways. It was the only way that her heritage would be passed down onto subsequent generations. In other words she was supposed to learn the old ways to pass them onto Jerry. Smiling at the memory, Natalia decided to do what her grandmother kept telling her she should do. She put the paperback down and went to where she kept the handwritten account of the stories and traditions her grandmother used to tell her.

One of the stories was actually about the Sun Dance her grandmother’s tribe performed every summer during the summer solstice. Natalia remembered having fun at the Sun Dance when her grandmother would take her to the sight. She remembered that she would watch as the men raised the lodge and the dancers as they performed the dances.

At that time, the milk was finished heating so she turned off the stove and poured it into her glass. She hadn’t touched it when she had the most peculiar sensation. She put a hand to her head and rubbed her temples. She closed her eyes to try to clear the sensation but it only seemed to intensify. She put her other hand to her temple and started to rub hard. She had no idea what was going on.

_Natalia was standing somewhere in a building in town. She didn’t know which building it was but she could tell it was a bit on the dingy side. She was standing in the middle of a room which was a standard single. The clock on the nightstand signified that it was ten o’clock._

Natalia opened her eyes and frowned. Her hands were on her temple. Her head was starting to throb like a bad headache. She closed her eyes and opened them again. She was seeing something and it wasn’t her kitchen.

_The eagle was by the door looking tired. It was the same one from the store. Suddenly the eagle flared its wings and gave a screech. Across from it was some dark creature. It was a monster of some sort. It was grinning at the eagle and it advanced towards it._

Natalia was confused by what she seeing. She couldn’t tell if they were people or if she was losing her mind. The pounding in her head though told her that it was real. She turned towards where she knew the glass of milk was on the counter but she was not seeing it. She was seeing something else.

_The eagle and the monster were making noises at each other. Suddenly the monster did something and the eagle started collapsing in pain. It screeched at the monster. The monster laughed at the eagle and continued to say something to it. The monster got really close and said one last thing before hitting the eagle. The eagle hit the floor and was out. The monster walked out laughing._

Natalia shut her eyes and when she opened them again she was in the kitchen. She gasped as she realized that she was back in familiar surroundings. She rubbed her temples and the throbbing was starting to ebb. She had no idea what it was that just happened but it was eerily familiar to the one she had of the eagle that was in the store earlier. That it was the same eagle she had no doubt. The stature of the bird was tall and proud and reflected courage with a slight sadness that was well hidden.

Natalia frowned as she took up her glass with shaky hands. She took a sip of it and it instantly calmed her. She sat down to think about what she saw while the throbbing went away. As she sat there, she recalled that she saw a clock. It read ten o’clock. Natalia sat up and glanced at the clock. Now that it was over, the clock read three minutes after the hour. Could it be? Natalia sat up to check the clock on the wall again.

“You see something?”

Natalia looked up to see her grandmother come into the kitchen. She replied, “Sorry I woke you Nana. I was just having a warm drink.”

Her grandmother gave her a knowing look. She shuffled in and said, “You saw.”

Natalia knew that she couldn’t just lie anymore. Her grandmother knew things and she was respected by the tribe for what she knew.  She said, “I don’t know what I saw Nana. There was a monster and an eagle and I don’t know. It was like a bad dream.”

Her grandmother made a sound as if to think. She then said, “Happen now?”

Natalia frowned and replied, “Maybe. Do you think so?”

Her grandmother looked at her as she sat down. To Natalia, it was as if she were deep in thought. The old woman then began muttering in the language of her people. Natalia responded in the same language.

****

The ground felt unstable but that was usual after being hit upside the head with a fist of iron. Angela waved her arms around to maintain her balance as she took tentative steps forward. It felt like when she had been hit by a cloud of some kind of drug that produced hallucinations on a case about ten years ago. A nest of vamps were selling drugs in exchange for blood and when she busted in, one of them doused her with ten times the normal dosage for a hit. In the end she had to track down their boss who kidnapped a girl. That was an experience felt like Alice in Wonderland.

]She put a hand to her head as she stumbled out the open door of her room. She had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. The only thing that was clear at the moment was Lenya. She had to find her. If she was behind what was happening in town, then she had to catch her. A sudden pounding had Angela lean against the wall for her to steady herself as she rubbed her head. For a moment she saw flashes of a memory of her on another hunt with John. He had been injured and he told her to leave him and go after the demon. She hadn’t and stayed to help him. That put them at odds since she had let a potential lead to Azazel go.

]It cleared away and Angela was looking at a wall. She frowned as she righted herself up and started walking again. She took slow tenuous steps down the hall. For reinforcement, she placed a hand on the wall and dragged it along as if she were blind. She could hear Lenya’s voice laughing in her head and the sudden pain that she had inflicted on her. What had the hell bitch done to her?

Angela heard a sound and turned to face it but it threw her off balance so she gripped the wall. She stayed where she was when she heard footsteps. Her vision was too blurry at the moment to see who or what was coming at her.

“You all right?”

Someone grabbed her upper forearms when she started to stumble. The sensation of time stopping overcame her and she saw the demon in the suit walking around and he was whispering into a human’s ear. The human walked over and sat at the counter of the diner? She then saw Sam bump him and how the whole thing started.

She watched as she saw people hitting each other for some minor offense that could have been easily rectified. She then heard her name and saw Lenya standing in front of her. She was grinning or giggling that stupid giggle. Lenya then gave a backhand to her face and the next thing she saw was black and someone calling her name.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam hadn’t wanted to get into an argument with Dean that night after everything but his brother was determined to point out the numerous times that Angela had seemed to know things but would completely side step the issue. Sam countered that it was just her way. That she never showed her cards until she was sure. He reminded Dean about when it clicked about that rogue Freemason and how she had been up front with them about it.

“Right, Sam and I bet you didn’t notice it when she seemed to space out when we met that kid’s parents,” Dean pointed out. He had noticed it but pretended not to and storing it away to ask about later if he saw it happen again. It did several times since they left Grant following simple salt and burns and getting rid of poltergeists. He had also seen the distracted look Angela had worn since their last night in Grant and hoped that she would come clean with it.

Sam had to admit that he had seen her space out but he was more respectful of the bargain that they struck up with at the Point. He didn’t press her since it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it but she did talk. He replied, “Dean I saw it too but I wasn’t going to make an issue of it. Besides it could have been a quirk of her mental powers or something.”

Dean said nothing but growled as he finished the minimart burrito that she had brought. It was not a greasy bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon the way he liked but it would do. For some reason he was annoyed with the fact that Angela once again saw to their needs without asking. Part of it was the fact that the burrito tasted like it came out of someone’s ass. He then said with a mouth full of food, “Alright Sam then what about what that chick mentioned about Dad and the description was eerily similar to the trigger happy harpy? That can’t be a coincidence.”

Sam raised his brow at his brother for once ignoring the lack of table manners. This was the second time that Dean had called Angela a name and not a complimentary one. “Maybe it is Dean,” he replied, “Of course the only thing to do would be to ask her about it.”

“Always with the talking are you Sammy?” Dean threw the trash in the waste bin. “Whenever there’s a problem, you want to talk.”

“Obviously you need to talk. Dean what is this really about? You seem to be blowing up over things that have never bothered you before,” Sam countered trying to get to the bottom of the problem.

“Little things bother me Sam. Angie bothers me and you bother me. Damn this whole stinking job with Yellow Eyes bothers me!”

Sam tried not to react to the accusation that Dean found him annoying. They both got on each other’s nerves at times and right now he had to focus on getting Dean calm. “Calm down Dean. Yeah there are things that would piss anybody off but do you have to get into a fight over it?”

_Hey shut up in there! There are decent people trying to sleep! Assholes!_

“Great now you’ve woken up the neighbors with your talking,” Dean retorted. He grabbed his coat and started towards the door. “I need a drink.”

Sam reached out to grab his brother, “Dean, come on. Just sleep it off…”

“You sleep it off or better yet if you want an emo talk got talk to the harpy,” Dean replied as he smacked his brother’s hand away and took off down the hall. He felt the need for a drink and if he had to drive all over town to find a bar then he would. He just needed to get away from Sam for a while.

Sam watched his brother leave and thought about chasing after him when a slight sound caught his attention. He turned to see a shadow stumbling down the hall gripping the wall. Since he couldn’t see the face, it appeared that someone was just going for a stroll and they were drunk. He called out, “You all right?”

When the person didn’t respond, Sam decided to go over and check. When he got close enough, he recognized who it was and grabbed her upper arms to steady her. “Angie? Are you all right?”

He peered at her face and saw a nasty bruise forming across her left temple and eye. That brought back an unpleasant memory of the first time they met.  Her gaze was unfocused, at least for a moment but then her eyes darted wildly as if she were seeing something before finally going limp. “Angie? Angie!”

****

The music was fairly decent and the bar food was tolerable. The best thing though was the booze. Dean managed to find the only bar in town and planted himself on a stool to try to mull through why he was stuck in this piss ant town stuck with two people who at the moment were bugging the crap out of him. One he trusted since it was his brother and the other he trusted grudgingly since she did save their asses quite a few times. The thing that was a holding factor was that she was half human and that made Dean nervous. There was the possibility that she was in league with Yellow Eyes but if Dean had to admit the truth to himself, he would have reasoned that she seemed determined to catch this sonofabitch and gank his ass. When he learned from Sam that she had been the one to set him free under a mistaken impression, he almost put her out right then and there but it was Sam and the Sammy logic, not to mention the puppy dog eyes in one sitting that convinced Dean to let it go.

Unfortunately he didn’t let it go so easily. It was always at the back of his mind every time he watched her on a job. It was there when he saw her and Sam talking about anything and everything though he had to admit that she was good with her words. He could still smile at how she made Sam blush with her dirty rhymes and her references to pie. That was small though compared to the big picture.

The conversation they had in the car helped dispel his anger a bit. At times Dean felt like she understood where he was coming from more so than whenever he had a sort of conversation with his dad or Sam. He took a sip of his beer and glanced around the bar. He wasn’t having much luck picking up girls since they all seemed to want to bite someone’s head off.

“No luck with the ladies?”

Dean turned to see a youngish man in casual attire that would have looked better in a country club but for some reason, it fit. The guy had taken the stool next to him and had waved towards the bartender to order his drink. Dean replied, “Bad day all around. What about you?”

“I could say the same. It’s not easy defending people you’ve grown up knowing all you life.” The guy managed to get attention of the bartender and ordered a rum and coke on the rocks. He looked at Dean and asked, “What about you? Someone get your dander up about something?”

“Call it a family argument,” Dean replied with a smile as he took a sip of his beer.

“Oh one of those,” the guy said as he took a sip of his drink. “Sometimes though I wish I had a sibling, a younger brother perhaps. Then maybe life would have been more interesting instead of being an only child. Talk about boring.”

“You wouldn’t want a brother. Believe me,” Dean replied. “You wouldn’t want a freakishly huge brother that goes emo on you about every goddamn problem that happens.” He thumped the counter for good measure just to get an edge off his frustration. He finished off his bottle and called for another one. It was going to be a long night so he might as well take something to make it enjoyable. He looked at the guy sitting next to him and asked, “Why would you want a brother? Or any sibling for that matter?”

“Like I said: boring,” the guy said. He then held out his hand and introduced himself, “Tony Ramos, Attorney at Law.”

Dean took the hand out of politeness but raised his brow more out of sarcasm. “Lawyer eh? Great. Well if I ever need Matlock in this town I’ll know who to call.”

“It’s not that bad. Just when you have to defend essentially good people that you’ve known your whole life,” Ramos replied taking another sip of his drink. He studied the hunter sitting next to him and found that his talents had been working. The poor guy had the recognizable look of confusion as he was trying to sort out his thoughts. It was also a sure sign that a few more pushes and complete rage will take over until someone or something close to the infected one manages to stop it. Of course Ramos was biding his time with that while Lenya worked on her end. The key was to gain Dean’s trust. He started talking, “So anybody you know that suddenly went from good to bad?”

Dean looked over at the guy. He certainly was a nice guy and there wasn’t anything strange about him. In fact he was probably the only one that wasn’t giving him the evil eye for being an outsider or whatever was putting peoples’ panties in a twist. He picked up his beer and huddled over the counter, “Nothing like that. Just my brother being the freaking emo that he is. That and our partner is just being irritating by being… nice.”

“Ah being the nice guy often gets irritating,” Ramos replied. He tapped the counter for a refill and motioned for another beer be brought to Dean. “I used to be the nice guy in court but that got old real fast. Now I do both and it works. Sometimes you have to be a little tough if only to get to justice.”

“You got that right,” Dean replied giving a slight nod as he drank from his second beer. “You know sometimes looking out for someone else is a pain in the ass but hey I do it because what else is there?”

“So I take it you and your brother are close?” Ramos knew the answer but he had to keep Dean talking and gain his confidence.

“Have been since he was a baby.” Dean was beginning to feel comfortable in this guy’s presence. It was like they were on the same page even though the guy didn’t have an annoying younger brother. Dean turned to face the guy while leaning against the counter. “I don’t know what it is with that kid. He ran away from me once and then he decides to ditch his family for Stanford.”

“But he came back right. Obviously he couldn’t last too long without his big brother.”

“Sammy can take care of himself. Occasionally he needs a push in the right direction.” Dean swiveled back to face his beer. “Though he seems to be listening to the harpy more,” he muttered before taking a drink.

“Ah women troubles.”

“If only,” Dean replied.

Ramos chuckled. This was pretty easy. He decided to step it up a bit and encourage Dean to tell a little more. The more he had to work with, the better this would be. He suggested letting him buy the drinks and started ordering the harder stuff for both him and Dean. They talked about anything and nothing with Dean getting decidedly tipsier than ever.

At one point, Ramos decided to test his influence over the elder Winchester by sending a shot of annoyance to a burly pool player. He then suggested that they shoot stick with the guy. Even drunk, Dean managed to hustle a few hundred dollars from the guy. When Dean wasn’t looking, Ramos whispered the suggestion that Dean had cheated and the burly guy reacted and demanded his money back. Dean reacted by saying that he won fair and square and said that Chuckles better sit and have a drink.

The burly guy wasn’t going to take that for an answer and started swinging. Dean was annoyed at having been in a fight twice in one day and fought back. At one point he managed to grab the fist of the guy and wrench the wrist down before shoving him away. At that point Ramos reduced his influence since he didn’t want the sheriff involved again. He said, “Boy you showed him.”

“It was nothing.”

“Still not too many guys could take on Harry there. I bet your brother couldn’t take him.”

Dean laughed, “I can hand Sam’s ass to him. Then he goes crying to Angie, the meddling harpy.” He then started mumbled and going on about how nice she was and it always made him feel like a jerk and how Sam ate it up.

Ramos listened grinning. This was going to be good. It was partially mingled in jealousy. He replied, “Sounds like you’re wondering if she’ll take your place in your brother’s life.” This was going to be a profitable night.

****

The morning sun was always associated with warmth but at the moment it was associated with annoyance. Angela frowned slightly as the sun hit her face and slowly opened her eyes. Finding herself flat on her back and on her bed was disconcerting when she vaguely remembered collapsing on the floor of her room. More vividly she remembered stumbling down the hall chasing… Angela sat up quickly only to feel the remnants of a headache hit and she put a hand to her head and gave a low moan.

“You’re awake. Good.”

Angela turned to see Sam standing near the coffeemaker that came as standard issue with the room. She noticed that he spoke with that deliberate calm he used when he was annoyed or pissed at someone. Looking around, she saw her journal lying open as well as a stack of letters from Mary. She realized what had been going on while she was out. She closed her eyes and murmured to herself, “Oh no.” She could understand the attitude. Curling up on the edge of the bed, she pulled her legs up to rest her chin on her knees. She was surprised when Sam handed her a cup of coffee; enough that she almost didn’t take it but she did and held it while he pulled up the seat he must have been sitting in and sat across from her.

Sam didn’t know what to say to her. After Angela passed out, he carried her back to her room and found her 9mm semi auto on the floor and the door wide open. He took it to mean that something had happened in this room and putting her down, he checked everywhere and re applied the salt lines that had been blown away. It was while he was doing this that he tripped over her duffel and kicked out the journal and some letters.

It was after he made sure that he was comfortable that he started to clean it up and got a good look. The letters had been postmarked from Lawrence, Kansas and addressed to a post office box. The journal though caught his interest. At first he thought it was one of her lore books and he decided to read while he watched over her. It was a huge book like those seen in those wizard movies and the first pages were written in a language he couldn’t read and were dated around the 1500s. Sam realized that it was her journal and felt embarrassed to be going through her stuff. He knew Dean wouldn’t care and he didn’t want to.

Curiosity got the better of him and he flipped forward until the language changed to English. It was dated in the 1700s and it spoke of riding with the army. Sam was bombarded by the history she had lived and could have spent hours just on those pages. He flipped forward towards the present and one caught his eye.

_May 2004_

_Went by Stanford with a check in/out. S. was okay. Was out and across state to check on D. and J. Usual salt and burn. Met J. at the bar afterwards. Gave info and reported on S. Left and headed to job in Utah. Werewolves._

Realizing who the people she was referring to by initial were, Sam scanned the entries feeling guilty and yet interested in what she knew about them. It was then he found the last entry dated the day his dad died. He skimmed through it, a few paragraphs catching his eye.

_… J. summoned me to his room. Waited until S. left after visiting D. Had a plan to help D. Just needed a few things._

_J. told me to forget it. He told me he found out something big but wouldn’t tell me. Instead he told me that he had a job for me. He had me swear it upon the lady’s name. Curses that I showed him that. He wouldn’t tell me until I swore…_

_… Summoned Y.E. as promised. Brokered conditions: Colt for D. Wouldn’t take it. J. did something stupid…_

Sam couldn’t read any more after that. He realized that Angela had been well spying on them. For what reason, he didn’t know. Then it began to click. He remembered a couple of times when he and Dean were kids and when they really needed a helping hand, someone came along. They never saw the face but it was always a woman. Now realizing that it was here, Sam had no idea what to do with the knowledge. He could fess up and have her go on about privacy, or grill her about it. Neither seemed to be a good choice at the moment and when she had woken up, he spoke rather curtly to her. He made it up in a small way by giving her some coffee he had made in that piece of shit that passed for a coffeemaker and was startled by the surprised look on her face.

“I once said that when people find out things about me, I am either still a fellow hunter or become the hunted.”

Sam looked up at her sitting on the bed. She hadn’t moved much except to better hold her coffee. “What?”

“Remember?”

Sam did remember but did this constitute that choice? “Yeah I do.” He watched as she took a tentative sip. “Can I ask you something?”

Angela held her cup. The stuff tasted vile but it was something to keep her hands occupied and it was something that could keep her awake during the day. She replied, “Ask.”

“Did you…” Sam couldn’t find the words without sounding accusatory. Dean would have jumped on this right away but Sam decided it wasn’t worth it. Besides, Angela had been nothing but honest when they asked questions about her. Sure there were a couple of times when she was close to saying something but Sam took it to mean that it was something either private or not ready to share.

“If it’s about your father, yes I knew him and I was there when he made the deal, the Colt and his life in exchange for Dean’s. I was the one that summoned the demon and made the initial terms. He wouldn’t take it though. The pot had to be sweetened. I thought it was me and would have offered but…”

“Dad did first,” Sam finished. He decided to fess up now. “I read your journal about that. You said he made you swear something. What was it?”

Angela looked at Sam who was staring at her. She could see the curiosity and the concern. She thought there was a bit of anger as well. She didn’t blame him. She wondered if she explained it now, would he understand what it meant to make such an oath. There was no way of knowing except to tell and so she did, “He made me swear to watch out for the both of you. He wouldn’t tell me his plan and I could tell it was going to be a stupid one and he had me swear the oath in the name of the goddess. So I’ve been doing that ever since.”

Sam knew she was not telling the whole truth about watching them. He wanted to know why on that account. “That’s not true. You’ve been watching out for us before that. Why?”

 _So he did read more than I thought he did. Might as well give him a little more,_ Angela thought to herself. Out loud she said, “The answer is in my journal. I’d rather you read it than tell you because that was a different time then.” She then moved to put the cup on the nightstand and went back to her spot resting her chin on her arms as the hugged the tops of her knees. She then sighed and waited.

Sam eyed her with some trepidation. He got the feeling that she was waiting for an ax to fall across her neck. Yet she also seemed resigned and he thought that maybe that this thing had happened more than once. Slowly he picked up the heavy book and held it. “Where do I look?”

“Look for the one dated 1973.”

Sam skimmed backwards amazed at how many entries there were. Most of them were short and clipped with few details. Others looked like novels. He finally found one dated in 1973 and it looked like the one that was similar to a novel since there were completed sentences.

_April 1973_

_M. came to me so happy I could practically see her jumping for joy. She told me that J. proposed to her and she said yes. I was ecstatic since she was going to enjoy a life that was going to be hers. Old Man Campbell already hates my guts for encouraging her to marry a tool from the local garage but to hell with that. M. is a good friend. There has never been anyone like her except for the glimpses I caught of her and J. together._

_When she told me I told her how happy I was for her. I got the feeling she wanted me to be involved but I knew I couldn’t. It was time to move on. Such a thing isn’t easy to break to someone who had stuck up for you when the going gets tough. Yet I explained that a break was necessary. I did tell her though that she could contact me if she needed me, but I highly doubt that. Still I will make the effort to make sure that no one interferes with the life she wants._

Sam looked up, “You knew Mom?”

Angela nodded. “I didn’t meet your father until years later. He actually found me.”

“And the letters?”

“Your mom wrote me. Told me how things were going.” She saw the question forming on Sam’s lips and headed him off, “I didn’t write back but she knew I got them.” Angela then sighed as she stared at the pile of letters. She could tell he hadn’t gone through them and she wouldn’t have known what to do about that.

Sam for his part had no idea what to say. In some ways it was kind of creepy that she had been around when his parents were young and alive and now she was around him and Dean. In other ways it could have been chalked up to crazy. He closed the journal and put it back on the table. A thought then occurred to him, “Wait, how come when Dad made you swear, you waited so long to actually show yourself?”

Angela gave a slight shrug of her shoulders mostly to stretch them and to mask the fact that she was getting hungry. She replied, “Mainly because it’s what I am and force of habit. Honestly would you have been as receptive if I showed up knocking on the door?”

“Probably not.”

“Plus, I was still pissed at John for what he did. I was going to toe the line and watch. It didn’t necessarily mean I had to interact but it didn’t work out that way and I forgave him.” Angela sighed again as she felt her stomach rumble. She still needed to know one thing and that was for Sam and eventually Dean to answer. “So now you know, do you see me still as a fellow hunter or something that should be hunted?”


	8. Chapter 8

Austin had been up before the sun broke over the hill and he was shoveling horseshit. Still it was a job and he needed the money if he was to stay for a while before moving on to the next job. He finished shoveling just when the sun came up. Old Mad Johnson came out of the house and seemed surprised that his new hire was already at work. He said, “Eh nice to see someone who knows when it’s time to get to work.”

Austin put the shovel back where he got it from and replied, “You hired me for a job sir.” He wiped his face on the bandanna that was in his jeans pocket. “Is there something you need me to do?”

Old Mad Johnson eyed his young hire with a speculative eye. There was something about him that was different but then again the boy was an outsider. Probably from one of them big cities and full of them city ways but that didn’t matter since the boy knew how to work. Polite one too. He said, “Well I need ya to pick up some feed from the feed store. I got my shipment in. Can ya drive a pickup?”

Austin resisted the urge to lay out all his credentials in the driving world. He had to keep a low profile for the moment. He replied, “Yes sir. Stick or auto?”

“Stick, boy.”

Austin nodded and went to wash up. No need to go into town smelling like a horse’s ass. He said, “Right away Mr. Johnston.”

It was about fifteen minutes later and Austin was already on the road driving the battered pickup that clearly had seen better days. He didn’t know his way completely around town but he remembered the garage and stopped there to ask McGinty where the feed store was. He waited while the portly Irishman spat a little and then directed him to the place. Austin drove down the road away that there was a chill in the air even though the sun was high and the sky and was warm. He got the feeling that something was going to happen.

As he drove down the road, he saw someone that looked familiar. He pulled over to avoid getting hit by anyone who happened to be coming down that way. He cut the engine and stared out the window to get a better look. His eyes widened slightly at the sight.

She hadn’t changed a bit since the last time he saw her except maybe her hair was slightly longer. Chris said that she was all right and doing what she did best. Austin knew what that meant but seeing her walk down the street, he noticed that she seemed bothered. About what, he had no idea. However, since she was here that meant that there was something going on in this town and if anyone could figure it out it was her. He was just there to verify the reports he had been given and that meant he had to be undercover as a backpacking youngster that was shoveling horseshit for room and board. Not a hard look to achieve since he had the looks and he suspected because he was one of the few that could tolerate this part of the States.

He watched as she walked down the street appearing deep in thought. Maybe she had a clue or something. He would call her later. Right now he had to get some animal feed. He started the truck again and listened to it cough itself to life and took off towards the feed store. He arrived more or less intact and was instructed to go to the loading dock.

Once there he got out and took the slip he had been given along with the money towards the counter. He was paying when someone shouted, “You did that on purpose!” Then there was a gunshot.

Austin’s first instinct was to spring into action but following the cue of the others in the store, he ducked but looked around for the shooter. He spotted the guy who was waving looked like a shotgun around. He was popping off rounds and shouting about something or other about his livestock and how they were going to die or something and that it was Dodson’s fault. Austin recalled that was the name of the owner. He skimped along looking for the unlucky guy who got shot.

He found him on the ground. He was still alive but barely and Austin knew that he needed assistance. He reassured the guy and took off, determined to take down this crazy sonofabitch. He found the shooter who was in a standoff with some other guy pointing his rifle at him and accusing him of being a whiner. Austin frowned at that statement. This was a petty thing and yet the two were ready to shoot each other over stupid stuff. Austin was bumped by someone who was heading in the same direction that he was heading in and was greeted by the, “Sorry.”

“Nothing to worry about. Just gotta stop this before more people get hurt.” Austin studied the guy next to him. He was young, probably early twenties, a mop of hair that looked like he had just gotten up and mossy greens. His size was something that would be the butt of Bigfoot jokes. “How about I take down shotgun and you take the rifle… er?”

“Sam.”

“Alright, Sam.” Austin motioned where his newest ally was to go and where he would go and they took off keeping low. Austin moved with smooth precision until he was within reach of Mr. Shotgun. So far they hadn’t popped off rounds and that was a good thing. He spotted the guy Sam and gave a hand signal.

At the right moment Austin gave the signal and raced towards Mr. Shotgun while Sam ran towards Mr. Rifle. They both tackled their guys, grabbing their guns by the barrel and yanking them out of reach. Austin flattened his guy and checked to make sure that the guy wasn’t going to try anything else. He looked over to see Sam do the same and he pulled out his cell phone to call for emergency services. As he was looking around, he saw someone watching, a woman with red hair and he saw the eyes flicker black. Then she was gone.

Austin tied up his guy with a zip tie and went to check on the guy that he shot. He would do what he could to help. He was surprised when the guy Sam came over to help. He said to Sam, “Help is on the way.” Austin looked back to where he saw the girl but nothing else was around. Definitely something is going on.

When help arrived, the guy he was working on had passed out. Austin asked, “Why the delay? Where’s the sheriff?”

“There was an incident at the station. The main deputy is trying to keep order.”

****

Natalia opened the door to the police station. It was busy with people doing their business. There were some people cuffed as they were being booked. She knew some of them since they were the usual bunch of troublemakers. Some were people that had never done anything deserving of jail. She had no idea what was going on and it was rather frightening. Still she was here for a reason and she was determined to see it through, especially after the nagging Nana had given her.

She walked up to the desk and asked, “Excuse me but where could I find out if any crime happened?”

The secretary Doris Petersen looked at Natalia and gave a smile. “Natalia, how are you?”

“Um fine Doris,” Natalia replied a little nervous. She knew Doris since she would drop by on occasion at the store. She adjusted the strap of her purse as she looked up at Doris. “Doris, I want to know if a crime was reported from last night. How could I find out about that?” She gave a slight smile to show that she wasn’t trying to do anything funny.

Doris smiled and replied, “Why do you want to know? Did you witness something?”

Natalia had to think fast. She was not normally one to lie but in this case she had to make her request believable. She replied, “Well I was out by the Plains motel and I thought I saw some people arguing. Did anyone report anything?”

Doris looked at Natalia with slight suspicion. She liked the girl though and decided to make an exception. She smiled and said, “I really can’t tell you unless you were directly involved but, I can make an exception. Follow me.” Doris slid out of her chair to let Natalia in.

Natalia followed Doris behind the barrier to a set of computers that was out of view from the main office. She whispered, “Thank you Doris.”

“No problem dear. I know you are concerned.” Doris replied as she started typing in the search database. She typed in reported disturbances and left the search open for any type of crime. When the search came back, she said, “Well there was that disturbance at the diner. Seven people were rounded up on a disturbing the peace charge. Two were released under special circumstances.”

“Special circumstances?”

“Meaning that they were with a law enforcement agency, possibly a federal one, like the FBI.” Doris looked through the list. “I hate to tell you this Natalia but aside from that, nothing was reported. I’m sorry.”

Natalia hid the feelings of disappointment that she felt starting to rise. She was sure that something would have been reported. Once she talked to Nana, she was certain that the eagle was a representation of a person just like the monster. Well Nana seemed to think so. “It’s okay Doris. Maybe I could talk to the two that were released?”

“I doubt it dear. After all if they were here for a reason, they probably are long gone. They were such nice boys too. Their boss was too even though she appeared stern. In her position she would have to.”

Natalia would have responded but the sudden bang of a gun going off stopped her cold. She looked around and saw one of the junior deputies holding what looked like an automatic weapon, and he was pointing it at one of the other deputies. She watched as the sheriff come out and demand what was going on. She held her breath at the sheriff went down and the deputy continued firing indiscriminately.

There was a gasp and Doris collapsed with a cloud of red blooming. Natalia started to shake but stayed down. She had no idea what to do. Her first instinct was to stay down and she was going to do that.

The deputy was still shooting and walking around. Natalia felt her breathing increased and gasped when she heard another series of shots and glass shattering. She whimpered as she covered her head. There was return fire and then more from the automatic. Suddenly someone covered her body with theirs and she heard a woman’s voice say, “Stay down. Wait for the all clear.”

Natalia nodded and sneaked a peek. She saw an olive skinned woman with tawny eyes and dark hair propping herself up. She had a handgun in one hand and was propping up on top of the shattered glass. She also noticed the woman had a slight bruise around her left eye. She watched as the woman moved in a crouch and then suddenly spring, flying through the air. There was the sound of people colliding and a man grunting. There was the sound of a zip tie being tightened and then, “All clear.”

****

Angela had been walking down a random street in the general direction of the store that she had been looking at earlier. By some random coincidence she had come by the station. She owed it to the fact that she had been deep in thought while she had been walking and hadn’t really noticed much of anything.

After telling Sam the bare bones about her knowing his parents, she left him to face the question that she had posed. It was only right and she herself needed to think. Lenya had always taunted her with warnings and veiled threats. The last thing she mentioned when she got into her room was this being a lesson. To Angela, the obvious was the lesson that nothing was ever kept a secret for long. She then thought about what Apkallu had told her about the nature of revealing secrets. It was possible that she may have compromised things making it difficult to do what she had promised. That was the downside of telling them.

Then making the difficult decision, she pushed it to the back of her mind to focus on the case. They hadn’t been able to assume any of the usual covers except for her playing an annoyed federal agent that her undercovers got busted for minding their own business. So they could wander around and ask questions just not in the suits. Since now that she was known as an agent, she had the badge in her pocket and her gun tucked in her pants under her jacket.

She started thinking about the events that had been happening. What she had been able to get from Sam and Dean, apart from the occasional insults and snide comments from Dean, was that when Sam accidentally bumped a guy and spilled his coffee and the guy got angry even after Sam apologized. She recalled the article she found on her laptop about a guy named Hartshorne who apparently beat an old woman to death for no reason at all except that she nagged him about something that happened earlier in the day.

It sounded like ghost activity but it wasn’t consistent. Then Angela took into account that Lenya was around. She knew that Lenya never messed with spirits so it could be demon activity but she hadn’t seen any. She frowned in thought until a motion distracted her. She looked up and saw one of the deputies walking into the station and he was carrying something that wasn’t standard issue. She suspected something was up and started walking towards the station. The shots being fired put her at a run.

Once inside she ducked low and was able to avoid being seeing. She managed to catch a glimpse of the deputy standing over the sheriff who was down and out for the count permanently. The deputy was looking crazed and yet calm which had Angela thinking for a moment. She had observed humans for a long time and when most went postal they weren’t _that_ calm about it. This was something else and the clues began to add up. When the deputy moved, she moved pulling her 9mm out and staying low. She really didn’t want to shoot the guy but maybe if she popped off a few rounds as a warning it might distract his attention and allow the civilians at least to exit the building.

Taking a chance she stood up and ran to another place for cover. It worked and the gunshots followed her. She managed to catch the sheriff’s second in command’s eye and motioned for him to stay down and that she was going to take down the guy. She ignored the look that said she was crazy since virtually crazy was what she operated in. She looked around and noticed that most of the civilians had scampered out but she caught sight of a young woman with her head down and trembling with fear. Angela knew she had to at least make sure she was not in the line of fire.

Taking her opportunity, she did as she did before, popping off rounds and moving to get to the girl. She dropped her body over the girl when the glass from a window to an office shattered and covered the girl’s head. Angela then whispered, “I need you to stay down. Do not move until you hear me say ‘all clear.’ Got it?”

The shake of the head confirmed it and Angela propped herself up. She didn’t realize that he had rammed her bare hand on the broken glass and cut her palm. She slipped her gun in the back of her pants and kneeled. She peered over the counter and saw the crazed deputy walking around slowly and looking for a target and his back was towards her. Definitely a good opportunity. Steadying herself in her crouched position, she timed it and putting an extra spring into her muscles, she vaulted over the counter and landed on the back of the deputy. They landed on the ground with a thud and the automatic slid out of the deputy’s hand.

Angela was familiar with apprehension procedures and proceeded to grab the deputy’s arms and put them behind his back. She found a zip tie and tied his hands together. All the while the deputy fought her and at one point head butted her chin. It stunned her but she held on. At that moment she saw someone watching and she thought she saw something but the struggling deputy grabbed her attention.

It was sometime later after giving the statement to the sheriff’s second that Angela spotted the person again. It was the guy from her dream! She was sure of it and it was clear now that demons were at work. Well that was a given since Lenya decided have some of her usual fun. As much as Angela wanted to give chase, she couldn’t do that and possibly get on the townspeople’s bad side. This demon more likely was using one of their own.

The demon seemed know that and he grinned at her. He then held up a hand to reveal a ring. Angela watched as he gave a twist of the band. At that moment, the apprehended deputy started butting and kicking at his fellow officers. Some of the civilians who were women shrieked thinking that he was going to get free. However the other officers subdued him and put him into holding. Angela turned away to look for the demon but couldn’t find anything. She was searching when a hand touched her upper arm.

Turning Angela stared into the face of the young woman she saw. She was exactly as she saw in her dream down to the twin braids. She stared at the woman who stared back at her with a look of concern. She looked at the woman and asked, “How are you doing? You all right?”

The woman nodded. She then said, “Thank you. You want to come back to the shop?”

****

Dean woke up feeling the warm sun on his face and like the Impala just rolled over his head. He sat up to find that he had been sleeping on a leather couch. Looking around, he could see that it was some sort of office and tried to remember what exactly happened the night before. He stood up and regretted it immediately, feeling the pounding headache in his temples.

“Hard liquor usually does that,” a voice from the door sounded.

Dean looked to see the guy he had been talking to the night before standing there, leaning against the doorjamb. He rubbed his face and replied, “Yeah but I usually hold it better than that.” He looked around and saw that he was in an office of sorts. “What did I do last night?”

Ramos grinned as he watched the confused hunter try to puzzle out the night before. He toyed with the idea of telling him of the fun he had beating up a group of bikers that he lured into town just for the occasion. It had been… interesting since Dean was already pumped full of his influence and the others had a mild dose. For Dean to find out that he killed one of them… tempting but not a viable option. Besides the one he killed was one of his minions who pretended to die so it really wasn’t going to do anything. He replied, “We had a few drinks. Some guys got cute and you sent them on their merry way.”

Dean grunted, not sure if that was right. The details were hazy but for some reason he was under the impression that he had been fighting demons and the like. He said, “Huh I thought demons had found their way into town. I was pretty sure that I said an exorcism.”

Ramos was still smiling as he entered the room and went to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and then as an afterthought poured a second. He gave the second glass to Dean. “Well for the most part you were talking about the ‘woman’ troubles that you’ve been having since you rolled into town.”

That Dean remembered. He remembered laying it all out to Ramos about Angela. He replied, “Yeah I remember that. Thinking about it still pisses me off.” He took a drink of the whiskey that Ramos handed to him. “You know Sam and me were doing fine until she showed up.”

“I know. You said that first thing,” Ramos replied as he took a drink of his whiskey. “You know while you were sleeping off your little hangover, I figured I would do you a favor. As a lawyer, I have access to lots of sources of information.” It was somewhat the truth. However the real truth was that Ramos knew all about Dean’s little problem and which things would be guaranteed to set him off.

Dean looked at Ramos with a raised brow. If Ramos was offering what he think he was offering, then Dean didn’t need to waste any more time trying to wheedle information out of her. Heck he would even know what it was about her that had Sam interested; why Sam felt the need to talk to her before he talked to his own brother. “Are you offering what I think you are offering?”

“What is it you think I am offering?”

“Hey,” Dean held up a hand in warning, “Don’t play with me. My guess is that you were offering information.”

“You would be right on that count,” Ramos replied pleased at the response. Dean still had some of his faculties including his sense. He was going to need that for the next phase of the game. “I am offering information. The kind of course is up to you.”

“What’s in it for you?”

Ramos took another drink of his whiskey as he watched the elder Winchester look at him with suspicion. He replied, “Nothing except for the fact that getting to know you… well I like you. It’s rare to see a guy who knows when there’s a problem and when to leave it and when to fix it. I work the same way with my cases.”

Dean had been flattered before and that was by Gordon Walker. Of course Sam pointed out that it was because he was more like Dad as a hunter and that Dean had been always after Dad for approval. Of course he was at risk of being flattered again but he liked this guy. He did remember thinking that the guy seemed to understand what he was going through even though it wasn’t exactly the same. “I guess I can understand that. Usually when I have a problem with my baby, I know how to find it and fix it.”

“See? We are on the same page. We have different professions for sure but we know what needs to be done.” Ramos put his glass down on the table. He took Dean’s empty one and went to refill it. “So is there a particular type of information you are looking for? As I said, I have my sources and I know how to use them.”

Dean contemplated what was being offered. For some reason he felt like he was spying on Angela and invading her privacy. Maybe he was if he took the offer of information and she did offer things about herself but only if she felt it relevant to the discussion that was occurring. She did talk to both of them and he and Sam both approached her when they had a problem. Thing was she would talk but never tell. He asked, “How much do you know?”

Ramos smiled. He almost had him. He replied, “Whatever you want. I have it in a whole file.” Now was time to sink the hook in. He added, “I’ve read through it myself. I can tell you though there are some things that I think you should know. But only if you want to.”

Dean held his glass and stared down at the amber liquid. He wanted to know. The decision raged internally within his mind. Briefly he thought about what Sam might do in this situation. A small voice told him that Sam would have turned it down and asked her straight to her face but he chose to ignore it. He knew that Sam had trust in her, probably more than he should even though she had been traveling with them for a while. In the end he convinced himself that he was doing it to protect Sam. He looked at Ramos and said, “Alright, what do you know that I should know?”

Ramos smiled and went over to his desk. He had his new secretary compile everything that he knew the Winchesters would find interesting about their newest companion. It was organized in chronological order as much as was available and with a few ‘embellishments.’ Right now he only needed one portion and that was what Dean blabbered on in his drunken state. He opened the drawer he kept it locked up in and pulled it out. He held it in his hand and thumbed it a moment. He walked over to Dean and said, “Well this should be of interest to you.” He held out the file.

Dean hesitated slightly but then grabbed the folder. He flipped it open and began to read through the file. What he found had his eyes widen.


	9. Chapter 9

Angela stood inside the shop that she had dreamed about previously. It looked different since it was during the day now instead of night like how she saw it. She wondered why she was even drawn to this place right now. She suspected that the woman was different from other people. Her dream confirmed that. The dream suggested that she might be like the others she had come across, a psychic. Her attention drifted to the display cases of Native American crafts. There were even some of the cheaper souvenirs like postcards organized.

“I found the antiseptic so if you’ll just let me take a look at that.”

Angela turned to see the woman from the station come out from the back carrying a bottle of antiseptic and bandages and other things to treat an injury. She remembered why now. It was after they left the station and heading to the store that Angela noticed something was sticking out of her palm. She looked down and found a piece of glass embedded in her palm. She stared at it contemplating how to pull it out without making it gush. The woman who was called Natalia noticed and pulled her into the store. Now she was back and setting the tray on the counter.

“Need to get it out. No good if glass still in there.”

Angela looked to see an old woman lumbering in on a cane. She didn’t say anything, getting the feeling that she was being inspected. It was Natalia who said, “I know Nana. I just found the antiseptic.”

“This one heals.”

“Nana, I think I know how to patch up a cut or two.”

Angela watched the two women exchange words. After beginning in English, they switched to another language that she took to be one from their tribe. She held her palm up and inspected it. She saw that it was in the same hand that she had cut on the rope. She wondered if she was destined to meet new people with a cut in the hand. She studied the existing scar and ran her thumb gently along it, tracing it. She was interrupted when her hand was taken by Natalia.

“Don’t poke at it like that. Let me pull it out,” Natalia muttered as she took Angela’s hand and the tweezers. She peered at the wound and found the edge sticking out. Since they were near the sink, she washed the blood off as she tugged the piece of glass out. It came free with a quick pull earning a slight hiss from Angela. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Angela replied. She may be able to heal fast but since her body was more or less human, she could still suffer the same effects normal humans did. She bled, she could break bones and she could die; it would just be harder to do it since she had her vampire genes. She watched as Natalia examined the palm and she said, “Looks like I won’t need stitches.”

Natalia didn’t want to agree with her but when she turned away to put the shard of glass down and turned back, she didn’t expect to see the wound heal so fast. Well at least enough to look like a cut that just needed to be cleaned and bandages. She didn’t know if she was imagining it or not and could barely speak. She did manage to say, “It looks like it.” She then cleaned the cut with antiseptic and wrapped a bandage around the palm. “There.”

Angela flexed her hand and looked at the bandaging, “Thank you.”

“Actually, I should be thanking you for what you did in the police station. I don’t know why Deputy Richards did what he did.” Natalia shuddered at the memory.  “It seems like a curse has hit our town.”

Angela listened to the girl talk trying to ignore the looks that the old woman was giving her. She had the feeling that the old woman knew things and had some idea as to what she was. Angela didn’t mind that kind of knowing since she knew Old Chou and Mistress Chen were similar in that respect and she and she had met several shamans in her travels. She may not believe in their religion but she respected them enough to not take it lightly. She replied, “I noticed that when my friends and I pulled in yesterday. You have any idea when it started?”

Natalia looked at the woman, not sure if to tell her anything at all. She glanced at her grandmother and the look that woman gave her encouraged her. She replied, “It started a week ago. At first the sheriff thought they were isolated incidents of people exploding over nothing but recently it started to increase. More people getting into fights and killing each other over things that normally would have been settled by a drink and a handshake. People who would never hurt a fly were killing people.”

 _The incidents increased the day before we arrived in Hudson_ , Angela thought to herself. It was almost as if something or someone had manipulated the situation to get them there. She was starting to form some possibilities when she heard a baby cry. The cry was mingled by a coughing sound and immediately she was blown back to another time when she heard a similar sound.

“Oh, excuse me. That’s Jerry. He has terrible congestion and I can’t seem to get rid of it. Give me a moment.” Natalia disappeared behind the counter to take care of the baby leaving Angela alone with the old woman.

Angela gave a respectful nod to the old woman and started to inspect some crafts to pass the time. She was in the middle of admiring a necklace when the old woman said, “You heal.”

Angela turned towards the old woman and she repeated the phrase. Angela replied, “What should I heal?”

The answer came when Natalia came out holding the baby, trying to comfort him. The boy was coughing and his breathing sounded labored. Angela looked at the little boy. She knew what she had to do but she was a little uncomfortable doing it in front of people. She preferred to do things when no one was watching and then sit back and watch the end results. Still Angela was not one to resist helping someone so small and innocent. She asked, “May I try something?”

Natalia stopped what she was doing to look at Angela. “Oh there’s no need. Sometimes it takes a little longer.”

“Please.”

Natalia would have protested some more but something in Angela’s eyes told her that it would be all right. She handed Jerry over to the woman saying, “Let me know if he gets sick.”

Angela took the baby and that sensation she got when she had a vision came upon her. She studied the baby as she started walking, processing what she was seeing. She was still processing it when she started singing the song she hummed to Sam and summoned her healing powers. The baby started to quiet his crying and cuddle against her shoulder, his head buried in the crook of her neck.

Natalia watched as Angela walked around with Jerry humming a song. She watched as the baby quieted down and cuddled against Angela’s shoulder. Jerry never took to strangers that easily and yet here he was being good. She glanced at her grandmother who was watching with interest and was that approval? She walked over to her and asked, “Do you know something Nana?”

“This one is special. This one heals and it comes from the blood.”

Natalia looked at her grandmother trying to make sense of what she meant. Sudden Angela came up to her and handed the baby over. Angela gave a gentle smile watching the baby sleep and said, “He should be fine now. Just make sure you have good humidity in the room for the next twenty-four hours.”

Natalia took the baby and listened. She didn’t hear any rasping noises. Nothing. It was as if it were completely cured. She looked at the woman in amazement and said, “Thank you.” She then disappeared to put the baby down.

Angela watched them leave and when she was sure that she was out of sight, she asked the old woman, “She was visited at six months wasn’t she?”

“Yes. Still a good girl.”

Angela nodded. “I can see that. I am sorry that my mistake has come to this.”

The old woman gave her a tap with her cane on her rear. Angela looked at the old woman with annoyance, clearing wondering what the hell that was for. The old woman said, “Dark one did this to her. Not you. You are a healer.”

“I know that.”

“Not just body.”

Angela frowned at that not sure what the old woman meant. The old woman knew that she didn’t know yet. So she said, “You will know. Now you must save town. You and the warrior brothers. You are the eagle courageous and strong. The warrior brothers fight to destroy the dark ones.” The old one then went to a case in the corner where the most expensive items were. She opened it with her set of keys and removed an item. She brought it back with slow deliberation and held it out to Angela.

Angela looked at what was offered and she held the pendant in her hand. She had seen these before when she traveled through this state back in the 1800s. It had the image of the sacred animals of the particular tribe and to be given one was a mark of honor especially if you were an outsider. It identified you as a friend of the tribe as well as bringing about protection. This one had the culture hero of the wolf for wisdom and the eagle for courage. Only shaman made them and she was stunned the old woman was giving it to her. She said, “I… I can’t accept. I am no honored warrior.”

The old woman grunted and replied, “You are a healer. Take it.” Then to show that she meant it, the old woman undid the clasp and slipped it around Angela’s neck after smacking her gently to get her to bend over.

Standing upright, Angela looked at it and the woman. By then Natalia had come back. The old woman then said, “Go see the old one in the hills. He will tell you what you need to know.”

****

Sam had never seen anything like what had happened before except for maybe that one case with the ghost shrink who made people so angry that they killed people. This though felt different. He looked around while one of the deputies collected the report while eyeing him a little nervous. Sam couldn’t forget how they reacted when Angela busted him and Dean out of prison the other day. He was sure that if those guys knew the truth, they would have seriously had their minds blown away at the fact that she could make herself appear that way.

“So you’re saying that you were walking by when you heard the shots?”

“Yeah,” Sam replied. “I thought that I might be able to help. The other guy was already moving to help as well.”

The deputy made some sort of noise and continued to write up his notes. “You know, you federal types sure know how to work. That boss of yours took down the guy who decided to shoot up the station.”

Sam listened with interest. After asking him the question, Angela had left stating that she needed a walk. Something about exercise being the thing to heal the body. That reminded him of the nasty bruise that was on her face. That was twice maybe three times that he had seen a bruise on her face. Like those other times, it had faded so you could barely see it. Yet it was hard to ignore when you knew it was there and it had Sam wondering if she let herself get beat up on purpose at times.

Thinking about Angela had his thoughts drift to Dean and how he was behaving. Sam knew Dean to get emotional over certain things that hit close to home and especially if he found someone who could keep up with his sarcasm and bitch talking and he didn’t like. Sam figured that it had to do with what has been happening with the town. Thing was Dean’s attitude turnaround started before they left. Anyone else could chalk it up to being a coincidence but Sam’s gut was telling him that it was connected.

“Well that’ll be all for now. You and the kid can go.”

Sam snapped out of his thoughts long enough to thank the deputy. He started walking when he heard, “That was some pretty good moves. Never saw anyone move that fast.”

Sam turned to see the guy that took out Shotgun following him. He replied with a slight confused expression, “Thanks. Um you weren’t so bad yourself.” He then turned to continue walking. He made up his mind to call Bobby and ask about the case and if he found anything new.

“It was supernatural.”

Sam turned to look at the guy who was staring at him. He hadn’t moved except to cross his arms. He had his brow raised slightly as if daring Sam to deny anything. Sam replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned to start walking again.

“Yes you do.”

Sam turned around feeling agitated that this guy wasn’t going to let the issue drop. A smart hunter knew better than to mention anything out in the open. This guy was being brazen if he was going to say anything about it at the moment. At least the deputy had wandered off to interview the other witnesses. Sam walked up towards the guy and said in a low voice, “I don’t know what you’re game is but I have no idea what you are talking about and I suggest you leave it alone.”

“You do know what I am talking about Sam Winchester.”

Sam was speechless for a moment. “How do you know my name?”

Austin looked at the young hunter. He knew that he appeared roughly Sam’s age even though Sam was the taller of the two. He was sure that if provoked Sam wouldn’t hesitate to hand him his ass… if he could. He was here on a different matter but with things going on in the town, he could offer some help. He replied, “The Centurion keeps track of ‘exceptional’ hunters as well as those that are members of the order. The Winchester name is well known.”

“How do I know you are one of them? You could be just a demon or some other monster we hunt.”

 _He has a point_ , Austin thought to himself. He wondered how long it took for him to trust Angela and that girl made it hard for anyone to trust her since she insisted on being the outsider and working alone. He shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I suppose it is too much to ask for you to simply trust me?”

“You could say that,” Sam replied. “Let’s just say that I’ve run into one of your kind and they turned out to be someone else.” It was true. A few days after leaving Grant they had been approached by someone claiming to be a member of the order but Angela ratted him out and sent him packing before he could pull something. It turned out to be a Chaser like her and he was after her, so he claimed.

“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t trust me either. My kind have always been viewed with suspicion,” Austin replied. “However I do know what I am talking about. Things are not right in this town.”

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” Sam replied, the sarcasm evident in his voice. “That’s why my brother and I are here with our friend.”

Austin had to appreciate the subtle protection Sam was using for Angela. Few would dare to call her a friend so freely as the hunter before him did. Most people were scared of her but this one was not. “So I see.” He then turned to leave.

“Why are you here?”

Austin paused. He replied, “I am here on a different matter but I do offer help.”

Sam thought about it for a moment. If Angela were here, she could verify the identity of the guy. Since she wasn’t, he was going to have to rely on his judgment. This was one of those moments where Dean would have intervened and interrogated the guy but Dean was not himself and Sam had no idea where he might be. Thinking about it, Sam came to a decision. “What kind of help?”

“I can do some inquiries. I am in the dark about what this might be but I can ask questions.”

“We’ve asked. What else?” It was a lie but Sam wanted to know the guy’s intentions.

Austin couldn’t help but grin. He liked the fact that Sam wasn’t as trusting as many thought him to be. “I came here to see if the rumor about one of the yellow eyed demon’s kids is true.”

“You mean a psychic.”

“I see you know about it yourself considering…”

“I’ve met a few of them. So what do you intend to do with him?”

“I’ve been assigned to make sure that the kid doesn’t get taken by the demons. Yes I know about Ava.” Austin rolled his eyes slightly in annoyance at the look Sam was giving him. The hunter should have realized that there were more than one interested party in what Azazel was up to. Unfortunately some parties held more cards than others. Angela was one and her mission was more of a vendetta. At least that was how the Council saw it. He continued, “It was part of the aggressive negotiations argued on their behalf. A friend of mine can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”

Sam recognized that term. Angela had said the same thing when she gave him the list of the psychics that were alive. Something was telling him that this guy was telling the truth about his affiliation. He would be willing to work with him for a while but on a short leash. He replied, “I can help you find this person.”

“Good.”

“I need to find my brother and make a call.”

“That’s fine. I work at the Johnson ranch. When you feel like it, head on up.” Austin then turned and walked away quicker than any human Sam had seen.

As Sam watched him leave, he thought about his next move. He had to find Dean and Angela and try to work together without Dean trying to pick a fight with her. He headed back to the motel hoping to find Dean but no such luck. He called Dean’s cell.

_Sam?_

Relieved that Dean was somewhere alive and not in trouble, Sam gave a sigh before demanding, “Dean, where are you?”

_I’m fine Samantha. Just following a lead._

“So you found something?”

_Yeah you could say that I found something._

Sam grew excited. Finally a lead on what was going on in Hudson. He would have to call Angela and tell her. “Okay so you want to come back and tell me?”

_Not yet. I need to check on something first. Why don’t you go talk to the harpy about it? Maybe she might have found something useful for once._

“Dean, that’s not fair. What is up with you?” Sam frowned at the wall while he listened to his brother talk.

_Sam, she may not be what she appears to be._

Sam rolled his eyes. Again with the accusing. True he found a few things out but they weren’t something to get angry over now that he thought about it. It was how she worded it. It hit him that Angela said things the way she did because she believed those events to be her fault and her doing. He said, “Dean it’s not like that…”

_Sam trust me on this._

“Dean…”

The click told Sam that Dean had hung up. It was clear now that Dean was not himself and it occurred to Sam that maybe he was under the influence this town was under. The thing was finding out what that was. He flipped his phone open again and dialed another number and listened to the ring tone.

_It’s Angela._

“Angie, something is up with Dean. I think he may be under the same influence this whole town is under.”

_I suspected as much when I was at the station. Sam I think we are dealing with a demon._

Sam frowned. He had met plenty of demons but one that can influence emotions? True demons lied and could manipulate a situation to their advantage but this was new to him. He had never heard of such a thing. “Are you sure it’s a demon?”

_Yes. I saw him at the station._

“But a demon that can manipulate emotions… is that possible?”

_Yes. There are different classes of demons. This one I believe is a rage demon. They specialize in picking up on things that would make someone angry. A pet peeve, jealousy even sensitive subjects known to cause outbursts and they just crank it up._

“So that explains why those people went postal.”

_I think so. Sam I think there is more to it._

“What do you mean?”

_I’m not sure yet but it is something that I should explain in person._

“Alright. You coming back to the motel?”

_Meet me at the Plains Folk Native American Store. In one hour. I have to check on something._

Sam was puzzled by the request but he trusted her just as she trusted him when she told him her story. He would go along with it for now. Maybe they could figure out something to help Dean and this town.


	10. Chapter 10

Angela wandered out into the open spaces of the reservation. She had no idea what she was looking for. The old woman said she was supposed to be out there but like most things that involved those that knew the old way, it was often obscure or made complicated as a test. More often she obeyed to indulge and she always found herself learning something that she would have never learned otherwise. She made her way to a wash and sat on one of the rocks.

“Must you always stoop so low that you are close to the dirt?”

Angela closed her eyes before opening them and standing up. She turned to face the newcomer and said in a controlled voice, “At least I serve a purpose.”

Lenya smiled and replied, “Of course you serve a purpose but have you figured this one out yet?”

Angela gave a hard stare. She was tired of Lenya’s games but she knew she wasn’t strong enough to end it now. Few knew what Lenya was capable of and she was one of those few but it was ultimately Lenya who knew the full range of her capabilities. The same could be said for the purebloods of all the races that she had encountered over the centuries. She replied, “Is it one of yours Lenya? Some low level demon with an unusual talent?”

Lenya laughed. She loved these verbal games she played with little sister. They played them all the time when they could spend every day together in Daddy’s special domain. She replied in a giggle, “Now little sister you know the nature of the demon hierarchy.”

That told Angela what she suspected. She was dealing with a rage demon. It was a demon high up on the hierarchy. Some of the usual methods of subjugating demons didn’t necessarily work on them. Lenya was one such demon and it was the case for this demon that was causing feelings of rage to be spread throughout the town. She also suspected that maybe Dean was affected by it.

On her way up, she had time to think about Dean’s behavior. Comparing it to what she had seen, she came to the conclusion that what had been affecting the townsfolk was affecting Dean as well. The fact that he started acting like an ass before they arrived was irrelevant. Now that Lenya confirmed it, Angela suspected that they had been lured here mostly to mess with them in some sick game of theirs. That was the nature of the demons higher up. However since she met the girl Natalia, she was beginning to suspect that there was more to this. She looked at Lenya and replied, “Indeed I do. You made sure that I knew it. So is he a cousin?” The last part she let come out with sarcasm that would have made Dean proud.

Lenya laughed at Angela. “Such sarcasm is unbecoming… unless you like that peculiar habit your pet humans use.”

Angela gave a wry grin as she replied, “What can I say? It’s a gift and one that takes years, centuries to perfect.”

“A horrid talent. Your silver tongue is much better. The ways you are able to persuade your pets to do your bidding, it is better than anything I have ever done.” Lenya smiled as she approached Angela. She had a few tricks up her sleeve and it was all for the big finale. “After all you managed to convince the Winchester brothers to take you along.”

Angela’s defensive instincts went up. Something was up with this line of questioning. There was a reason for Lenya to be making such a minor mistake. She would have to tread carefully. She replied, “I did nothing of the sort. If I’m not mistaken, it was Sam that convinced Dean.”

“Ah, but I think it’s because Sam likes you that he encouraged it. You always were good at convincing the soulful ones like Sam to see your point of view. I seem to recall the last one, a young Irish lad by the name O’Brien.”

Angela paused a moment. Sean O’Brien was a hunter she met during the revolution between the Irish and the English. He almost killed her when they first met since he mistook her for the vampire that killed his family when he was a boy but she proved herself when she actually caught the hunted vampire and let him decide its fate. Since then he followed her and she taught him everything she knew about hunting: how to move, how to think under pressure but what she didn’t teach him was patience. He trusted her for that and in the end it was his impatience that got him killed when he decided to jump the gun on a hunt against a nest of demons. He left behind a wife and child that she saw to even though the wife hated her for what happened to her husband.

Angela had no idea what this game entailed for Lenya but she was not going to let the bitch defile the memory of the lad. She replied, “He came to me. He asked me. They all do.” She glared at Lenya, determined to not let the bitch win at her game. Little did she know she was fighting a losing battle with this.

Lenya laughed at Angela as she replied, “That is the way of it isn’t it little sister. Put the blame on them but never yourself. You are more like use every time we meet. It makes me so happy that our time together hasn’t been completely lost.”

“I am not responsible for a person’s choices. I may feel guilty about it later but in the end we all make our choices.”

“Keep telling yourself that, little sister. You’ll find that often those pets you keep will not see it that way.” Lenya then looked up at the sun. “Oh my. Looks like I have to run. I have a date with Sammy boy and a little girl who needs to be ‘educated’ for Uncle.”

Angela narrowed her eyes. So that was what this was about? And the bonus was tormenting her. She growled, “You will not touch them.”

“Make me, little sister. You never could.”

Angela knew Lenya was right but this time she had enough. It was like a rage had over taken her at that point but it was a cold rage like what she had seen a long time ago back when… She gritted her teeth as her eyes glowed. She failed to notice that an old man was watching the scene as she launched herself at Lenya drawing out her knife that she still had in her pocket.

Lenya grinned, “Good,” and produced a large dagger. She followed through in deflecting the blow and countering with one of her own. She kept it up with sticks designed to stick it to little sister literally. Lenya managed to lock blades and push Angela hard against a rock. “You remember the old ways well.”

Angela countered with a head butt to push Lenya away. “That’s a little something new.” She followed through with a swipe only to have it deflected and a hard blow delivered to her chest. It sent her flying into the rock and her knife fell away.

Lenya advanced looking at the slash Angela had given her on her arm. It stung like hell but it was minor compared to what she said next. She replied, “Keep trying little sister. You’ll never win. You’ll fold just like you did with John Winchester. You’ll leave them as you left him.” She was then gone leaving Angela to grit her teeth as she pulled herself up.

“Never,” Angela replied to no one in particular. “I made a promise and I aim to keep it and you will meet yours one day.”

****

Ramos had never had so much fun watching two women go at it like it was a title prize fight. He knew Lenya was good and had only heard about what Angela could do. Now he got to see it and he wasn’t alone. He glanced over at Dean who was watching the same thing he was and noted with pleasure at the reactions that were being produced.

The mirror was Lenya’s idea. She knew that Angela would find the psychic eventually and she knew that Ramos had been having a hard time because of the grandmother. Lenya figured that the old woman would send Angela to the old man in the hills to learn more and set it up so that they could watch things unfold.

It had been easy to convince Dean that Ramos believed in the supernatural and that was how he was a success in getting what he needed to know when it came to his cases. He then showed Dean the most valuable thing in the whole realm of the supernatural. The Essene mirrors were ancient, dating back to the days of the Old Religion and not a whole lot was known about them but Ramos did know that they could be used to see whatever the viewer wanted. This one he had fixed so it would show anything that he wanted others to see.

When he convinced Dean to look at it and manipulated it so that it seemed that Dean accidentally activated it. It was pure luck that it was showing Lenya talking to Angela. It was a treat to see the look on Dean’s face as he saw the two of them talk. He loved it when it got to the part where Lenya mentioned the O’Brien brat. He said, “Looks like your friend has a knack for picking up strays and using them.”

Dean was listening to the conversation. He was curious about the mirror that Ramos guy showed him and when he touched it, it showed him what he was seeing. He listened to the accusation from the demon bitch and Angela’s response. In the back of his mind he knew that Angela wasn’t like that but the manner in which she shifted blame to others or well the way she justified things, it didn’t sit well. It didn’t especially sit well with the fact that Angela even knew that demon and well from the looks of it.

 _Keep trying little sister. You’ll never win. You’ll fold just like you did with John Winchester. You’ll leave them as you left him_.

Dean was familiar with poker terms and to fold meant to cave in. Did she really give up his dad to the demon? Heck was she even there? Dean didn’t recall seeing her in the hospital even when he was a spirit wandering the halls. It only confirmed that she was good at sneaking around. Rationally he knew he should talk to Sam and by extension Angela and yet the fact she didn’t even bother to say that she knew Dad… that hit close to home.

Learning about Ellen and Jo was a revelation and it turned out well because that was Dad’s doing. This was something done by someone who was traveling with him and Sam, eating, hunting and well doing the family business with them and she didn’t say a word.

“I know how hard it is to learn that someone you trust has been keeping secrets. I see it all the time.” Ramos said as he deactivated the mirror. “The things I’ve heard about her though, I think it’s best that you sever all ties. Do what you can to make sure nothing happens again. It’s what I would do.”

Dean nodded, not verbalizing. He didn’t really want to believe it. After all Angela did manage to take care of the little things that neither he nor Sam would ever think about. She saw to food supplies and her ability to patch up injuries to produce minimal scarring. Yet that was also annoying because she did it without asking and she was so damned nice about it. Maybe it was part of her cover and maybe she was trying to get close to Sam. She certainly was succeeding.

“It’s up to you. You were saying that you would do anything for your brother,” Ramos said as he gently twisted the ring around his finger.

Dean looked back at the mirror and then at Ramos. He was so confused but there was one thing that he was sure of. He had to get to Sam and talk to him. If he saw Angela, he had no idea what he would do. Suddenly he felt sudden anger as he thought about it some more. He had to do what it would take. She lied and he had to settle the score. He got up and started to make his way towards the door. “Thanks for your help.”

Ramos let him go. There was still plenty of time for the plan to go through. No sooner than Dean had gone than Lenya made her appearance. She was holding her arm. He said, “Looks like the bitch bit back.”

“Little sister is good but she doesn’t have what it takes.” Lenya didn’t bother to look at Ramos as she checked her injury. She figured that little sister would use a weapon designed to kill demons. The cut would bleed for a while but it was worth it. She could tell that Ramos’ idea to toy with Dean further had worked. She had watched as Dean stormed out of Ramos’ office with the rage apparent on his face. She guessed that now was time to step it up. “So is everything set?”

Ramos looked in the direction that Dean had taken. It was time now. “Yes. Speak to Azazel. We are ready to set the big game in motion.”

Lenya smiled. This made her day. “Of course and I’ll send out one to begin the new one’s trials before the big dance number. Uncle gave me special instructions. This will be fun.”

****

Sam found his way to the store with little trouble. As he walked through town he noticed more and more people fighting over stupid stuff. There were down and out brawls in the streets among the people and even the police. There was chaos everywhere and it brought back bad memories of Oregon and the Croatoan virus.

Slowly he opened the door, his hand on the handle of his gun. There was no telling what might happen. The door chimed to let the owner know that there was someone in the store. Sam winced slightly at that since he wanted a chance to look around without making noise. He got inside and started looking around.

There seemed to be no one in the store. Sam poked around looking at the merchandize while scoping the place. Checking his watch, he saw that Angela was running late. He contemplated calling her but decided to give her a chance. At least fifteen to twenty minutes. That would give him some time to think about what it was that she wanted to talk to him about. The last time he made a joke, he didn’t realize how true it was until she admitted it and he recalled how scared, if that was what he could call it, she looked.

“Help you?”

Sam turned around to see an old woman standing in front of the main counter. Her silver grey hair was bound in a single braid and she was walking with a cane but Sam got the feeling that the old lady was tougher than she looked. He wasn’t about to shoot an old woman so he moved his hand from his gun where it was hidden under his jacket and replied, “I’m just waiting for someone. A friend of mine.”

The old woman looked at Sam with a straight face before saying, “Hmm. Good boy.”

Sam frowned in confusion thinking that the old lady was off her rocker. “Uh thanks… I guess.”

The old woman ambled up to Sam and walked around to inspect him. Sam started to feel uncomfortable with the whole thing but decided to indulge the old woman. Though he might have to lay some ground rules down if she started inspecting him like anyone would do with a horse. He did manage to say, “Um what are you doing?”

The old woman didn’t say anything until she was finished. She then stood in front of Sam and said, “Good boy. Warrior.” She then ambled back to the counter towards a cupboard hidden behind them. “Your friend went to find answers. Troubled she is.”

Sam looked up and followed the old woman towards the counter. He had to ask, “What kind of trouble?”

The old woman grunted as she continued to rummage through her cupboard. “Know you should.” She found what she was looking for and straightened up. She walked over to the counter and put a box on the counter and opened it. “Work together and you still not know.”

“It’s not easy when one is reluctant to say anything even after asking,” Sam countered. “And even then…” He shrugged his shoulders, not sure of what else to say. How could he describe the situation?

“You are a good boy. You can see past the obvious.” The woman took out a small totem on a lanyard. There were some things that weren’t shared amongst her people but they were taught and passed down to those like her. Now that she met this one, she could see the connection between them and she could see something. She showed it to the boy. “Good things lie within.”

Sam took it to take a look. He had no idea what the thing was and he wasn’t about to be rude about looking at it. He had never seen anything like it before. He replied, “I guess they do.”

At that moment the door opened and Natalia walked in saying, “Nana I got those supplies you ordered. It’s chaos out there.” She couldn’t see very well in front of her since she had a full bag. She set it on the counter. “There are fights starting all over town. The cops are stretched thin with some of them starting fights with civilians.”

Sam took a moment to study the woman in front of him. He said, “I know you.”

Natalia looked at the tall guy in front of her and frowned, “Excuse me?”

“Warrior he is,” the old woman explained. “Waiting for the other.”

Natalia was used to her grandmother’s purposeful broken speech. The old women could speak perfect English but she preferred to speak as she did. For whatever the reason, it was her own and Natalia wasn’t going to question it. However, this time, Natalia was thrown off guard with her grandmother’s response. She covered by replying, “You’ve been doing your poking and prodding again?”

The old woman let out a laugh. She knew her granddaughter had been caught off guard by another that was just like her. How she knew that was something that she would hope to teach Natalia and had been succeeding to some degree. She replied, “Expected he was.”

Sam watched the two women talk. It was obvious that the old woman knew something about him and Angela for that matter. How much was something that was left to be known and judging from how the whole conversation had been going on, that was not going to happen in the near future. He interrupted, “Look, I really don’t know what is going on but I’m supposed to meet a friend of mine here. Did she come by?”

Natalia looked at the tall guy. She liked him and reminded him of her husband. However there was something off about him… like there was about her. She realized that he must have been talking about Angela and she was more than willing to help out. Anything to thank the woman who helped her baby and she trusted Nana’s judgment. Maybe they could both help the town. She replied, “Was her name Angela?”

“Yeah. We’re working on a case with my brother,” Sam replied wondering if the girl forgot about his earlier comment.

“She was here but she left but she said that she would be back.” Natalia took the bag and started taking things out and putting them away behind the counter. “I never got to thank her for her help.”

Sam had been looking around the shop and noticed that there were heavy duty items for powerful magic and spells about the place. He spotted some sigils that looked like they were designed to repel things like demons. They were not the traditional ones that he knew like devil’s traps but he guessed they were pretty effective. He heard the girl talk about Angela and he replied offhanded, “She likes to give help. The thanks is something she’s working on. It’s just her way. You’ve got some interesting sigils here.”

“Nana drew those. She’s a follower of the old way,” Natalia replied as she walked over to look. “She knew something was up in this town before things started happening.”

“Waiting for Courage and the Warriors.”

Sam glanced at the old woman before whispering, “Is it just me or does she do that on purpose?”

Natalia gave a short laugh, “Nana knows things and you’re not the first to get turned off by her poking and prodding.” She went back to sorting out the purchases. “Your friend though was a bit more reserved. I think she liked Nana’s poking.”

“That’s a first,” Sam replied as he continued to look around. He glanced at his watch and saw that his fifteen minutes were up. He put his hand in his pocket to pull out his cell phone. “Usually she gets a bit defensive when people poke and prod.”

“Perhaps the right questions are not being asked and usually most people are reluctant to say anything back to her,” Natalia replied. “I’m used to it since she raised me.” She noticed that Sam was fingering his phone and judging from the look on his face, he was concerned. She thought it kind of sweet even if it was clear even to her that he wasn’t aware how much it was showing. She smiled slightly and said, “If you are wondering where she is, you better call her. I’ll just go back and check on Jerry. Ever since she paid a visit, he’s been doing better.” She then walked towards the back and motioned towards her grandmother to follow.

Sam watched them leave. He wasn’t stupid and he heard that last bit about Angela helping someone and smiled. That settled a few things in his mind. Even if some of the things she had done seemed questionable at first, he was sure she was not like that at all. She had never done anything to put either him or Dean in danger and in fact was willing to jump in first. He didn’t like it that she got hurt over it since he had to see the bruises and the cuts afterwards but that was the job they did. He was going to tell her what he thought and he would take care of Dean. He flipped open his phone and found that he had a message waiting for him. He was going to listen to it when it started ringing. Recognizing the number, he pushed the button to receive it, “Hey Bobby.”

_Where have you two idjits been? I’ve been trying to reach you._

Sam frowned, “Bobby, I haven’t gotten any calls except this one and I’m guessing that you left the message on my voicemail?”

_Well I wasn’t going to write to ya._

Sam gave a slight roll of his eyes, “You try Dean?”

_Called and even did that thing, what is it? Texting. Nothing._

“I didn’t think you’d ever learn.”

_Shut up, Sam. I’ve been trying to reach you. I think I may have found something. Might be a demonic omen._

Sam frowned slightly listening to Bobby on the other end. Something wasn’t right here. “What are you talking about Bobby? Dean, Angie and I are already on a job here in Hudson, Wyoming.”

_About folks going postal for no reason at all?_

“Yeah. You called Dean and now we’re here.”

_Sam, I just found this out now. I never called Dean about this._

Sam felt his breath hitch a bit. Someone or something was messing with them in a bad way.


	11. Chapter 11

Austin managed to get back to the ranch but it was later than the original chore called for. By the time he got back, he had to unload and sort the feed for the animals. There was no sign of Old Mad Johnson anywhere on the place. He did a quick sweep to make sure nothing had happened to him since he noticed that more of the townsfolk were getting at each other’s throats and beating the crap out of each other. Finding no one, he went to work. It would do no good if he got fired at this point.

He started shoveling the feed and began mixing it. He knew that each horse required a different feed. It was not difficult since he did help out once at another place that had horses. It was actually a pleasant experience and he didn’t mind the smell of the animals at all. He was carrying a bucket to the boss’ favorite stallion when he heard a noise. He put the bucket down and went to check it out.

“You are a curious case but you are unique.”

Austin turned to see a familiar sight. He was never one to have any qualms about unexpected visits. In fact most of his kind would consider it an honor albeit a little bit on the wondering if they were insane side. He replied, “What can I say? I’m what they call the orphan pureblood. A few quirks are expected.”

Isis looked at Austin with a tolerant smile. She walked up to one of the horses and began petting it. To anyone who happened to wander in she was a dark haired woman wearing a summer dress and heels. She smiled at Austin.

Austin went back to work. “So there must be some reason you are here milady. Having trouble reaching your favorite?”

Isis continued to pet the horse. She smiled when it gave a little hum. She looked at Austin and replied, “There is always a reason for me to traverse this plain. I know that there is trouble in this town.”

“Good. Then you can stop it before it becomes a mini Armageddon.”

“No I can’t. The rules prevent me from interfering.”

Austin stopped what he was doing to look at the goddess. “You’ve interfered before.”

Isis gave a gentle yet sad smile. “An exception but as a goddess I can give blessing and protection. To interfere in the mortal realm is a giant risk in terms of the balance of things.”

Austin remembered this lesson. It sounded stupid but it made sense. The gods and goddesses were powerful beings and existed in a separate realm. Some gods had pockets of this world sanctioned off and they were considered sanctuaries for those needing it. When they did decide to mingle with mortals, they assumed human form and their powers were tightly restricted. They were still powerful but not at full strength. He sighed, “So why have you come to talk to me?”

“You’ve made contact with the youngest brother.”

“I would call it a coincidence since he happened to be walking by when Mr. Shotgun decide to go postal. I had him made as a hunter the moment he took the guy down and he confirmed it more or less when I questioned him. What’s the big deal?”

“Surely you are aware that a plan is afoot set in motion by the demon Azazel?”

Austin tried but couldn’t resist the eye roll. She always answered his question with a question, a signal that it was something serious. “Who doesn’t that isn’t affiliated with the Centurion? I was sent to check out a rumor of a lost psychic kid. Low and behold I meet one who is also supposed to end this current game.”

Isis nodded. To the mortals and her children, it was annoying when she answered their queries in the form of a question. Her reasoning for it was for them to figure out the focus behind it before she got down to the details. In a way it was also a test of worthiness and to make sure they were loyal to the old ways. She replied, “True young Sam is one marked by the demon as well as the girl who lives here.”

“Great so we’ve got a town going postal and two psychics. Just my kind of case.” Austin finished feeding the last horse and went to put his bucket away. “And what does this have to do with anything?”

Here was the moment that Isis was waiting for. Now she could tell him just a little and point him in the direction he would be needed. “A great deal. Such is the nature of these games. The youngest brother will need your help eventually. You know the nature of the hierarchies of the races. It has already been figured out but he is prepared. He will show his hand when ready.”

Austin leaned on the hay rake he had picked up. Most of his kind and others within the Centurion were familiar with classification within the different races of creatures that existed. He knew this as well. Still that didn’t justify any reason for him to go off the beaten path he had been ordered to unless it was that serious. He wasn’t an idiot and he knew it was serious. “So I am to wait and watch?”

“Yes and move when you see an opening. I know you care for her, but just remember that she does things her own way.”

Austin didn’t say anything as the goddess finished petting the horse and then walked out of the barn and disappeared. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Once again a divine order was given and this time he was to be backup. Not exactly something he wanted to do; play second fiddle to a human and a cursed one at best but this was the way how things were. He wasn’t going to argue. He would do what he came to do and offer any help he could.

****

Angela was sitting on the ground in front of a fire and breathing in the familiar smells of herbs used for cleansing and other rituals. Across from her was an old man who appeared after Lenya had left and offered a hand up. That was after saying that she fought well but she needed practice. Angela never said a word but followed the old man’s lead until he stopped at a fire pit. It was then she asked if he was the old man in the hills.

He told her that he was and went to work with his herbs. Angela sat patiently until he was finished. Glancing at her watch though, she realized that she was going to be late in meeting up with Sam and she had the problem with Dean to fix. Looking up she noticed that the old man was looking at her and decided to cut to the chase. She asked, “Is it a demon?”

“You ask a question to which you already know the answer.”

Angela was caught on that one. She suspected a demon and the old man’s response confirmed it. Now it was a matter to see if she was right in the kind of demon. She replied, “Yes but I need to know if it is the one I suspect, a rage demon.”

“Emotions are strong. They are being used to turn friend against friend.”

“Okay, so that confirms it,” Angela muttered to herself. She really had no idea what the purpose of this was. She decided to ask, “Why am I out here if I know the answers?”

“Good question,” the old man replied. He made swirling motions through the smoke and chanted something in a language that Angela couldn’t understand.  She knew quite a few languages but when it came to specific dialects, she could be in the dark unless she tried to draw a comparison. That usually worked. The old man continued his muttering and then said, “Secrets lie within and have the power to destroy.”

“I get that. Apkallu warned me as such,” Angela replied. “I may have damaged a relationship that was fragile to begin with.”

The old man looked at Angela in that uncomfortable look that she seemed to find herself under quite frequently. She had seen looks like that before as if people thought she was crazy for saying the things she said. Maybe she was but it was how she saw the world at large. He then said, “Yet one is strong though it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Excuse me?”

“A deep one it is,” the old man replied. He then gave a slight frown. “Yet not seen in its entirety. Too soon but on the right path.”

Angela gave a tolerant smile, “I’ve been getting that a lot lately. I’m not one to believe in destiny. I find it to be annoying and full of crap.”

“A path that is laid before is not always set. But some things are meant to be. You just have to see it.” The old man then waved his hands and the smoke changed colors.

Angela wrinkled her nose as she smelled the herbs. She could pick out several and as her mind named them in their actual biological name, she realized what was going on. She started to say something, “What…”

“You need to see clearly.”

Angela felt her head get foggy with the familiar sensation. She watched as the old man began to chant and her eyes grew heavy. They closed and she slumped over in a deep sleep.

_Angela found herself back in town on the same street with the clichéd tumbleweeds blowing through. She was standing in front of the store that she had been in earlier and she was staring at the building. As she did in her dream, she walked in the store and found it was night time but it was not in the store. It was in some building but Angela couldn’t tell where._

_Outside she saw scrub brush and other plants native to the area indicating that she was somewhere out in the hills. Inside she saw Natalia backing away in fear. She was facing a demon and Natalia seemed to know her. She was calling her by name. Angela strained to hear it and thought she caught the name Claire. However, it was clear the girl was possessed by a demon. The inky black eyes told the story._

_The demon was then accompanied by the one she saw at the station. He was wearing a suit like a hotshot city lawyer and he was holding up his hand with his ring. He was twirling the band slightly and grinning. There were a couple of townspeople there starting to get angry and did she see… What was he doing here?_

_There was no time as Angela saw that a fight was eminent. She pulled out her blade and launched herself forward at the rage demon. She thought she caught his name… Ramos…_

****

Sam decided not to wait anymore and asked the old woman if she knew where Angela went. The old woman looked at him before telling him something about wandering the hills. It was Natalia that clarified the direction of Old Mad Johnson’s land. The old man was a well respected member of the tribe and knew things and he wanted to see her. Sam could only guess that it was one of those things that Angela would have a vague idea about and would have done it to humor the old woman.

He started walking towards the main road that would lead out of town. He walked since he didn’t have the keys to the Impala and he had no idea where Dean was since he wasn’t answering his cell. Sam was worried about his brother and the fact that he was not himself and that some of the irrational anger that he had been spewing sounded rational even to him but he knew that it was mired in whatever the demon had been working over on his brother.

“Sam!”

Sam turned to see Dean jogging towards him. Judging from his brother’s appearance, Dean looked like he had been chasing a monster or had been chased. Sam still wasn’t sure that his brother was all right so he treaded carefully but he couldn’t help the initial question, “Dean, where have you been?”

Dean gave a stern look that was mingled with surprise at the question. He had told Sam that he was checking out a few things. Did the kid forget that already? He replied, “I told you Sam. I was checking out a few things.”

Sam knew exactly what Dean was talking about and sensed that now wasn’t the best of times to start an argument over it but there were a few things that had to be cleared up. He started walking in the direction that he was heading, making sure that Dean was keeping up with him. They couldn’t discuss it too openly and he wanted to put some distance between him and the Natalia girl and her grandmother. Something in his gut told him that it was the best. He replied, “Right. Dean, can we talk about that later? Right now we need to focus on the case.”

“This is the case, Sam,” Dean replied in his insistent tone. He followed Sam not sure of where his little brother was going but he was going along with it if only to make sure that nothing happened to him and he needed to tell his brother what he had found out.

“Which is what the case, Dean?” Sam posed the question as calmly as he could. He could tell his brother was agitated and it was probably over some bit of truth that had been spun out of proportion by the demon. “The last time I checked we were looking into the going postal murders.”

That managed to catch Dean’s focus. At least he remembered that as much. The other stuff just seemed to fall into his lap like a major coincidence. It cleared up for a moment but he wasn’t going to let this go. He had to tell Sam and then take care of the problem. That was his job. He replied, “And I like having people I know I can count on to watch my back.”

Sam knew where this was going and had to cut Dean off now. He replied, “Yeah and that’s going to happen. Dean, the case comes first. Listen.”

Dean growled slightly. He thought that Sam was already too much under the influence of things and it never occurred to him that it was he who was getting so mixed up. “Fine do your emo talk Samantha.”

Sam tried not to roll his eyes as he said, “Look Bobby called to offer us a case.”

“We’re already on one bitch.”

“Fine, jerk. Anyway when I mentioned the details, Bobby was confused.” Sam paused to see if anything was starting to ring a bell in Dean’s mind. Usually his brother was quick to spot when they had been had in something serious like this.

“And?” Dean shrugged his shoulders. As far as he was concerned Bobby was just calling to check up on them.

Sam realized that he was going to have to spell everything out. Whatever happened to Dean had messed him up enough that he wasn’t connecting the dots like he should. “Dean, Bobby called to send us on this case. Who were you talking to before we pulled in?”

“It was Bobby, stupid yeti.”

 _Great now he’s elaborating on the name calling._ Sam sighed trying to reign in the temptation to yell at his brother. He replied, “It wasn’t Bobby.”

“What do you mean? Of course it was Bobby.” Dean looked at his brother as if he had gone totally insane. It wouldn’t be the first since it usually was Sam that came up with the crazy ideas and theories like that that. “Bobby called and gave us a case. You were there Sam.”

“Dean, I think someone was using Bobby’s voice to get us to come here.”

“Why would anyone want to do that?” Dean then held up his hand, “Don’t answer that Sam. It’s a job so you know what the sonofabitch is that we’re ganking?”

Sam paused a moment. He was going to mention Angela’s theory but at Dean’s current state that probably wasn’t a good idea. Still Dean had to be made aware of what was going on. He chose his words carefully, “There’s the possibility that a demon is causing all of this.”

Dean looked at Sam with his ‘you are crazy’ look and replied, “A demon? Come on Sam, they lie and manipulate but a town going postal?”

“It’s a rage demon,” Sam revealed. This was getting harder to explain and avoid mentioning Angela’s name.

Dean replied, “There’s no such thing. A demon is a demon.”

“I know it sounds crazy but there is such a thing a demon hierarchy. Yeah there are some more powerful ones but it looks like there are kinds that specialize and I think this one knows how to make people pissed off.” Sam stopped to take a look at his brother.

Dean sighed. The kid probably found something that was as obscure as angels being real… which was a load of crap in the first place. There was no such thing as specialty demons in the sense he was talking about. “Sam there’s no such thing. You’ve probably found that out from a book in the children’s section.”

“Dean, I’m being serious. It explains why you’ve been acting more of a jerk than usual.” Sam hated being blunt but in this case he felt that it was necessary.

“What are you talking about? I’m my usual charming self. You’re the one that is being the bitch.”

Sam couldn’t believe where this conversation was going. It was clear that whatever the demon did to Dean, his brother was so far gone that the only way to break his brother free was to kill the demon. Maybe that was the way to go. He made a slight face while trying to rein in the annoyance that he was feeling, “I’m not kidding Dean. Look it was Angie that figured it out. She spotted the demon at the police station.”

“Oh so it was Angie that figured it out,” Dean replied in a sarcastic tone. “Sam, has it occurred to you that maybe this was a set up on her part? Ever since we left Grant she has not had her mind on the job and has been keeping things from us.”

“Yeah and we’ve not mentioned a few things either. Dean let’s focus on the case. Whatever the demon did to you is screwing with your focus,” Sam replied trying to get his brother back on track. “Now I was just looking for her because she was following a lead.”

Dean let out a snort. “Probably trying to lure you into a trap,” he muttered under his breath. Still the focus had to be the case and he was going to keep at it even though this whole thing he found out about Angela was driving him crazy. He then said, “Alright. It would probably be best if we split up. You have any idea where the harpy went?”

Sam tried not to roll his eyes at Dean’s persistent use of that insult. He mentally told himself that it was the demon’s influence and not really Dean. He also had the feeling that he should not mention where exactly he was going. So he became deliberately vague and prayed that Dean wouldn’t pick up on it like he usually did. “Somewhere in the hills. She was looking for one of those old guys who knows a few things.”

“Oh so we’re chasing after a crazy person then,” Dean replied. “Alright, any general direction?”

Sam was surprised that Dean hadn’t been able to pick up on his vagueness at all. Usually Dean was like a pit bull if he held something back that could be serious. That further confirmed that something was not all right. The best thing to do would be to keep Dean out of trouble until this case was put to bed. He replied, “Not really. Dean, how about you check around town and then head back to the motel. I’ll look out here. You okay with that?”

Dean looked around. He could see people giving each other dirty looks and minding their own business. It wouldn’t hurt even though he was uncomfortable about Sam being on his own out here. “I don’t know Sam. I don’t like this. If it is a demon as you and the harpy think, then we could be walking into a trap.”

“What choice do we have Dean? Whatever is making the people go postal, we need to stop it.”

“A good point but Sam, be careful out there.”

“It’ll be fine, Dean,” Sam replied.

“Probably in a snowball’s chance but alright,” Dean took a final look before checking he had his gun stashed away in its usual spot under his jacket. He turned to walk in the opposite direction his brother was taking. He would indulge Sam’s point for now. In the end though he was going to do what it takes to make sure that nothing happened to his brother.

Sam watched as his brother walked away feeling concerned. He was going to have to keep an eye on Dean once he and Angela got back. He started back in the direction of the ranch that Natalia girl mentioned. It was going to be a long hike judging from the trail.

Sam continued on doggedly until he reached a point where he was sure that he was lost. Well not entirely lost since he could see the lights starting to go on in the town. He had no idea how far Angela could have gone and he wasn’t even sure he was on the old man’s land now. He sat on a rock and tried to remember the directions Natalia gave him. Suddenly he heard a screech that sounded close. Turning he saw an eagle looking at him and it screeched again.

Sam had no idea why the bird was even there. Wild things didn’t just come up to people like that. He slowly stood up so as not to goad the thing into attacking him. A look at the claws told him that as much. When he was standing up completely, the eagle gave a screech and flapped its wings. It took off and started in a direction where it landed on a rock up a hill. Sam could barely make out the shadowy outline of the bird before it swooped back down to where it originally was and screeched at him.

 _Okay, so I am guessing I am supposed to follow it._ Sam gave a slight roll of his eyes thinking that maybe he was the one that was going crazy. He took a tentative step forward towards the eagle. It seemed to give a nod of approval before screeching again and flying in the direction that it had taken previously. Sam tentatively followed.

The dusk of night was beginning to settle on the hills when the eagle landed on a rock that was reflecting the light of a campfire against it. Sam heaved a sigh of relief and tried calling Dean to say that he found her but only got the voicemail. Frowning he left a message telling his brother to call him as he walked towards the campfire.

As he got closer, it was as if the eagle just disappeared after giving a final screech.  Sam frowned as he advanced, his hand on his gun since it was better to be safe than sorry. He rounded the corner to find Angela alone and completely knocked out. The first thought was that whoever she had been meeting lured her there to get her out of the way but as he got closer, he picked up the distinct smells of herbs that were burning in the flames.

His head started to feel heavy but he gave a hard shake and bent over to try and wake Angela. He knew he was risking probably getting his ass kicked but this was serious. He started giving her a hard shake on her shoulder. Suddenly her eyes opened and she asked, “Where is Dean?”


	12. Chapter 12

Angela sat up quickly almost pushing Sam away but the dizziness from the herbs had her fall back slightly and she saw spots in front of her eyes. She put her hand behind her to steady herself only to find Sam holding her up. He asked, “What about Dean?”

Angela gave a slight shake of her head to clear it. Her nose could still smell the faint smell of those herbs and she fought against those effects. She steadied herself and looked at Sam, “It is a rage demon and it has Dean under its control.”

Sam looked at Angela to make sure she was coherent but she was still moving, trying to shake off the effects.  “Are you sure?”

Angela had her head in her hand. She was still processing the myriad of images that had flooded her mind. This was way different from the other times she had seen things. After the initial vision, she flashed backwards to when the deaths and incidents first occurred. It continued forward in spurts. It was like watching a movie and fast forwarding it to crucial points. The longest she had been in a scene were the ones where Dean was talking to the demon. She could feel the anger and confusion. It was hard to separate what was hers and the vision. Sensing that Sam was waiting for an answer she gave him one, aware that she was telling what she had kept a secret since she discovered it, “I saw it.”

Sam hadn’t expected that answer and was hard put to come up with a response. The best he came up with was, “You saw it?”

By that time Angela was able to sit up on her own and she was cradling her head on her knees and looking at nothing in particular. The smells had died down but the scent lingered to serve as a reminder of what she had been through. Somehow she got the feeling that this was the beginning. She turned her head sideways to look at Sam who had taken a seat beside her and was looking at her with concern. She replied, “Yes.” She then sighed before continuing, “I can see things. I don’t know how or why.”

“It is your purpose,” a voice came from behind the boulder. The old man came out from behind where he had been waiting. “Such is the way of the spirits.”

Angela looked up at the old man. A part of her wanted to just get up and punch the old man for putting her under like that. Another part just wished that they had never come to Hudson but her sense of duty overrode all that. She would see this through and damn the consequences since most of what she had kept hidden was now out in the open. She replied, “Please. Just tell them to take it back because I don’t want it.”

The old man said nothing but sat across from the pair. Sam felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole thing but was not willing to leave Angela alone since they had to come up with a plan. He was also curious. Was Angela like him and the other psychics? That might explain her interest in them and protecting them. He asked, “What is it like? Headaches?”

Angela looked at Sam, her attention towards the old man forgotten, and replied, “Mostly it’s a touch. Just one and I see things. Things that have happened and things that will happen. It’s like being right there.” She gave a wry smile since she knew what the next question was more or less going to be and added, “Yellow Eyes didn’t infect me like the others. As far as I know he has no clue about… this.”

“Fair enough,” Sam replied. “When?”

“The Point,” Angela began. When she saw that Sam was frowning in confusion, she explained, “After I dug myself out, I picked up your lighter and I saw where you and the others were being kept. I didn’t think anything of it at first but after that…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I thought it a fluke but now I’m not sure. So I guess this is another mark against me?”

Sam looked at Angela as if she were crazy. Granted it was a strange case and maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to keep something like that a secret since she did space out for periods of time. There was a risk of danger to them but he himself had kept things too and he was sure Dean had a few secrets of his own. No he couldn’t hold it against her. “No. I can understand why you wouldn’t say anything. It took a while for me to tell Dean about my visions.”

Angela listened as she stared at the fire. She glanced at Sam and spared a smile, “Thanks.” Sighing she continued, “We need to find the demon and kill it. It’s the only way to free the town and Dean from its influence.”

“Fair enough,” Sam replied, “So you have any idea who the demon is?”

“A guy in a shark suit… a lawyer. Some guy by the name Ramos,” Angela returned. It was easier to stare at the fire while she talked. With everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours, she felt like she was being forced to lay every feeling, emotion and detail bare and it was more than likely Lenya’s doing. It was typical of one of her games. At least Sam was being merciful and only asking about it if he happened to see it or she mentioned something. It was more than she deserved and generous of him and she couldn’t understand why at the moment. Just another thing to think about when she was alone.

“I saw the same guy in a nightmare I think,” Sam offered. The more information they shared, the better they could figure out what to do. The personal stuff could wait though Sam suspected that for Angela both were involved. “I also saw Yellow Eyes.”

“Probably has something to with Natalia. She’s one like you and the others.”

Sam looked at Angela. He had suspected something like that since he used to have visions regarding the other psychics and Ava said she saw him get blown up. He had to ask, “How did you figure it out?”

“The baby,” Angela replied. Seeing that Sam was not getting it even though she said one touch was all that she needed, she explained, “He was sick with a congestion problem. I… fixed it. When I touched him, I saw the circumstances of his mother.”

“I met her,” Sam said, “She said as much about you helping her out while I was waiting for you. The old woman though was…”

“Something else,” Angela finished. She looked towards the old man who was giving a tolerant smile as if he knew something. She narrowed her eyes and asked, “Is this why she sent me here to you old man?”

“As I said, you needed to see.”

Sam and Angela both rolled their eyes at the same time. It was she that said, “And I saw. So we are facing a demon that is doing this to the town.”

“Yes.”

Angela gave her own version of a tolerant smile. She knew that the elders in touch with the spiritual realms had their reasons for having her go through certain things. She always thought it was to reaffirm exactly what she was… as if she needed reminding. This was one of those times and it pretty much was telling her that she can have visions and needed to accept it. Maybe she should but for now she would acknowledge that she had another gift to add to her repertoire of powers though having visions was something that she was sure Shadow Chasers did not possess. It would be something she would have to look into later. She stood up and thanked the old man in his language. It had been sudden and she was still reeling under the effects of the herbs and in the end she wavered slightly off balance.

Sam saw her start to topple and he caught her from behind. It was unexpected when she went rigid. He watched as she her eyes glazed over as she stared straight ahead. “Angie?”

_It was dark on the street as Natalia was walking down the street. Suddenly a woman swooped down upon her. Natalia recognized the woman and called her name… Claire. Natalia, in fear flung the demon away. Natalia began to run but the demon was back on its feet and it grabbed her._

_Suddenly the old woman appeared and used her cane on the demon. It was a good distraction but they had no chance. Lenya was there and they grabbed both. The vision then flashed forward to an old building outside of town. Lenya, Claire and Ramos were there with Natalia and the old woman. They were grinning until Sam busted in. Ramos went over and grabbed Sam and grabbed him in a chokehold. Dean came in and a fight began._

_People that were under the demon’s influence came barging in. One pointed a gun at Sam and Dean. Lenya gave an evil gleam towards her. Everything went black but the shot reverberated through the air…_

Angela jerked upright. She turned towards him when he asked about what she saw. She replied, “We have to go. They are moving now and I think they are going to do something to Natalia.” She started walking towards the town, leaving the old man who watched them go.

“Wait,” Sam replied as he caught up to her. “Who are you talking about? I thought you said it was a demon?”

“I was wrong. The hell bitch set this up on purpose and I walked right into it.”

Sam had no idea what she was talking about but he figured that she would explain. He remembered the girl Natalia saying something about asking the right questions. Perhaps now was the right time to ask a question. He ventured, “Who are you talking about? I thought the demon was a guy?”

“Lenya is a hell bitch and she set this ‘game’ up. I’ll explain.”

****

Austin felt the breeze change in the night air. Something was up and he sniffed the air to make sure. Sure enough he could smell the change on the air. He could smell them, the demons. Whatever was happening, he needed to be there. He had to protect the girl. He pulled on his jacket and jumped from his place in the loft of the barn.

If he had been a normal human, he probably would have sprained his foot or broken a leg. However, he landed soft footed like a cat would and bent his knees to absorb the fall. Placing a hand on the ground to steady his balance, he looked around the barn and for the briefest of moments his eyes glittered like a cat’s.

Standing up slowly, he walked towards the door. At that moment, Old Mad Johnson appeared in the entryway. Austin could smell the familiar odors of herbs and his nose picked out a few specifics. He recognized them as of the narcotic variety; powerful herbs to induce a drug induced haze and were often used when one was going on a vision quest. He wondered what the old man was up to but he couldn’t blow his cover. He had to tread discreetly if he was going to sneak into town and check up on the girl. He asked, “Everything all right Mr. Johnson?”

The old man looked at his hired hand. He knew that this one was different. He was like the one he had seen but not like her. He had heard storied when he was a boy about the creatures of the night that mated with the People and created the half beings that walked amongst them. They were nothing like the monsters that were wreaking havoc on the town but still one had to be careful. Some did do things to harm the People. The old man though could see no malice in his hire. He replied, “Everything fine.”

Austin gave a polite smile and nodded, “Then if you don’t need anything, I thought that I might head into town.”

The old man looked at the boy. Perhaps he should let him go. If he was here to help as well, then he should go. However, if he wasn’t here to help, he should keep him here if only to help the chosen one of the People to complete what was leading her on the path to what she was to become. She would guide the warrior brothers through triumph and strife. He replied, “Not goof to be in town. Too many in anger.”

“I’ll be careful sir,” Austin replied. He was getting the suspicion that the old man was more than what he appeared. He had to tread carefully since the elder humans could either commend or condemn and their opinion counted for much with the younger generations. He looked at the old man and added, “I’ll make sure I’ll stay away from places that may cause trouble.”

“Should not go out unless you are here to help,” the old man countered. He watched the surprised reaction of the boy in front of him. He then said, “One is already here and needs to finish.”

Austin realized that the old man knew more than what he let on. He didn’t want to let on that he was there for a purpose but he got the feeling that the old man would wheedle it out of him. He smiled and tried to play dumb with it, “I am not sure of what you mean sir. I’ll go now.” He took a step to go around the old man only to have his way blocked.

“You will not interfere.”

Austin wasn’t going to play anymore games. “Sir, I have to go to town. Let me pass.”

The old man produced a cane and pressed it across Austin’s chest. “What are your intentions?”

Austin looked at the old man with a firm look. He would not harm the old man. He never harmed humans unless they harmed those that he was sent to protect. Right now the old man was not the threat. He replied, “I have my orders. I will uphold them.” He started forward before he felt something catch on his ankle and he fell forward into the dirt.

“Are you the enemy or a friend?”

Austin looked up at the old man who was standing above him. He seriously underestimated the old man and he didn’t want to fight him. However it was clear that the old man was going to fight him if he didn’t reveal his intentions. The thing was he was under strict orders to be very discreet. He had revealed his presence to the younger Winchester because he knew that at some point they would need his help. As for what he was looking for, they could help him and from the looks of things, they might have found the girl.

Austin stood up and faced the old man. He looked at him straight in the eye. He could use compulsion if he wished but that violate his personal principles. He replied, “What would you do if I gave either choice?” It was a gamble but he was willing to take the risk and he wanted to see her again if only for a moment.

“Friend, you may go but don’t interfere. Enemy we fight.”

Austin gave a slight movement of his head. Such a simple choice to make and either way he was barred from seeing her and helping. He didn’t understand the fuss the elders were giving over her but he would respect that to a degree. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing her and making sure that if anything, she was happy. He replied, “I am here as a friend.”

“Feel more for the one who came first. You must not interfere.”

Austin stood staring at the old man. It was going to be a long night. A long night indeed.

****

Natalia knew it was dangerous to go out that night but they were short of foodstuffs and Jerry needed milk. She told Nana that she was going and the old woman told her that she shouldn’t go and that bad things were going to happen. Natalia though pointed out that they were running out of food and that they needed milk for Jerry. It was low trick since she knew Nana loved the boy and she was grateful to the stranger named Angela for curing him of his congestion.

In the end the old woman agreed to let her make a quick run to the gas station mart but only if Natalia took something for protection. Natalia felt silly for carrying the tomahawk that she had learned to wield at a young age but she had also learned to not disregard the things that Nana said especially if they were a prediction. So she was walking down the street with the weapons strapped to her waist. It was hidden under her jacket so it wouldn’t freak people out.

Natalia was unprepared for the sight of the brawls that were littering the streets. She half expected it from the bikers that hung out at the bar but to see people that she had known for most of her life and wouldn’t hurt a fly… it was shocking. She saw people engaging in fights and arguing in the streets. She was actually shocked to see a young man getting his ass handed to him by old Mrs. Everett. Normally she would have interfered but this was altogether different. She knew now it was different now that she met Angela and that guy called Sam. Nana pretty much verified it.

With all the action going on in the streets, Natalia was forced to take to the shadows. It was the only way to avoid any confrontation. There were times when she had to stay hidden for as much as five minutes at times in order to avoid confrontation. She finally made it to the minimart and grabbed what she wanted. She was trying to open the door to get the milk but her arms were full. It was suddenly held open for her by a strong arm in a leather jacket.  She looked to see a young man with short hair arranged in a spiked manner with hazel green eyes. She smiled and said, “Thanks.”

Dean had wandered into the minimart with the intent on grabbing one of those burritos that tasted like crap or something that tasted less than that. He had scoped around looking for Sam and Angela and found nothing so he headed back. He had noticed the fights in the streets and tried to avoid them. A couple of times he had to shove off a few guys but they never stayed on him for long. They would become distracted and start on another. It made Dean wonder if his brother had been right in saying that there was some sort of specialist demon.

He had noticed the girl grabbing food items and was struggling to get the door to one of the coolers open. She looked rather pretty and attractive. The double braids over the shoulder suited her and the jacket she wore gave her a rustic look and was appealing to him. He decided to help her and opened the door for her while she took out a jug of milk. She gave him a smile and expressed her thanks. He couldn’t help it, “Just in the right place at the right time.”

Natalia studied the young man as she adjusted her load. She could tell that he was being a flirt. She could tell that he was good at it though and that put her focus up a few notches. She sensed though that he didn’t mean any harm but she just had to be careful. She smiled, “Well, being in the right place seems to have worked out.”

Dean grinned his trademark grin. He replied, “Anything for a lady.”

Natalia walked towards the front counter. She talked to the guy as she walked, “It’s nice to see that chivalry isn’t dead.”

“Well it wouldn’t kill someone to be polite for a change,” Dean replied as he steadied part of the girl’s load. He helped her place it on the counter and accidentally brushed against her back. It was then he felt the weapon at her waist. He was slightly confused since he knew it wasn’t a gun. He waited until the girl grabbed her bags and headed towards the exit. He stood close and asked, “You’re not planning to start anything are you?”

Natalia had felt the guy brush up against her and she was sure that he felt her tomahawk hidden under her jacket. She knew that he would probably say something away from prying eyes or be like the others and try something. It was formed when he asked his question. She had to be careful in how she replied and she said, “More like protection. In case you haven’t noticed. Things are a little hectic.”

Dean couldn’t argue with that. “I can see that. Seems like things have gotten crazy.”

“Indeed. Most of them are good people,” Natalia replied as she took her bags. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get back.” She gave a polite smile and took off towards the store making discrete movements towards the shadows.

Dean watched her go and started to head back to the motel. He was minding his own business when something brushed his arm and he turned to look. He faced the direction the girl had taken and then looked in the direction he was taken. Something was off right now and he got the feeling that he should go after her. He was prevented however when some douche ran into him and started telling him off and calling him names. Dean responded in his own fashion eventually provoking a fistfight. He held up on his pretty well until he got hit from behind and fell face forward. After that was lights out.

Natalia hurried down the street. The guy she met she got the feeling that he wasn’t going to harm her but she could sense that something was off. It was that feeling she got when things looked good but really weren’t. She was relieved that he didn’t follow her and continued down the street unaware that someone was following her.

She was almost to the store when a familiar face came out and greeted her, “Natie, how are you?”

Natalia turned to see Mr. Hartshorne’s daughter walking up the street and she looked a little… different. Still she couldn’t be rude. “Claire, I’m sorry about your father. How are you holding up?”

Claire smiled at the girl. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off her face but she had her orders. She replied, “I’m doing the best I can. Daddy’s holding up and Tony says he’s doing what he can to help Daddy.”

“That’s good,” Natalia replied. She adjusted her bags. Something wasn’t right as a sudden chill came across her spine. “So what have you been doing? I know your father wouldn’t want to accept charity for his case.”

“I actually started a new job,” Claire replied. “You know Tony’s secretary for his practice? Well, she decided to retire. Offered me the job and I accepted. It’s better than that job I had as a dental assistant.”

“Glad you found a job you like Claire,” Natalia replied being polite. “At least you can tell your father that you are working to pay his legal fees.” She placed her bags into one hand and reached into her pocket for the keys to the store. She didn’t want to use her tomahawk just yet and besides it was Claire. They had known each other since they were kids.

“Yes, Daddy would feel better,” Claire looked away as she said that. She heard the voice in her head. Now was the time. She looked back at Natalia and said, “He would also like to tell you that,” her eyes flickered black, “You are special.”

Natalia dropped what she had and backed away. Her hand reached behind her back and closed around the head of the tomahawk. She backed up and tried to control her voice even though she was feeling scared, “You’re not Claire.”

“Glad you noticed. Now you’re going to do exactly as I say or the kid and the old lady gets it. You understand me?”

“You leave them out of this,” Natalia retorted. She slipped her weapon out of its holder and held it up. “I mean it.” Suddenly it was yanked out of her hand. She looked at Claire who was advancing towards her. She held up her hands and said, “Stop.” When the not Claire thing kept coming, she said it more forcefully and pressed her hands forward. She was surprised when the creature was flung backwards. It stunned her but her first thought was Jerry and Nana. She ran towards the door and was stopped by Claire. She stared at the inky black eyes and then she was let go.

“Be gone.”

Natalia looked to see Nana standing behind Claire with her cane raised. It was short lived when she turned to face a woman with blonde hair and she was smiling at her. Suddenly she saw white eyes and her eyes widened in fear.


	13. Chapter 13

“So you’re saying that Lenya is close to Yellow Eyes?”

Angela was checking Absolution out. It was going to look out of place in town but it was the only thing powerful enough to kill something like a rage demon and well any demon except Lenya. She and Sam had made it back and somehow managed to avoid getting jumped by postal townspeople. They found the store and the old woman outside knocked over and with a nasty cut to the head. Angela had been able to give a quick patch up job and the old lady was up. She said that there were more than one and one had white eyes.

Now they were back at the motel coming up with a plan. Sam had tried calling Dean but got no response. He left several messages and told Angela what happened on his end. Then the questions started. She had wanted the boys to avoid meeting Lenya because she knew what the hell bitch was capable of. It was not an option now. She replied, “Yeah. She calls him Uncle. It’s a quirk of hers.”

Sam loaded up his shotgun with salt rounds. It had been a strange day but it was starting to make sense the more Angela was telling him. “I take it you’ve encountered her more than once?”

“Yes. She has a special interest in me and takes the time to torment me when she can find me.”

“Find you?”

Angela hated strip acts but hell the gate is open. She took off her button down and turned around. At least she was wearing a tank underneath. She made sure that Sam could see her tattoo while she explained, “The tattoo is not just a tattoo. It hides me from the demons. It’s very old magic and let’s just say that I had no idea what I was getting into when it was stuck on me.”

“So it’s like a cloaking device?” Sam took a moment to examine the elaborate knots. Interwoven were two smaller sigils like they were symbols like they were markings of a person. He had never seen anything like it before and he guessed that there was something deeper regarding the tattoo and that seemed like one of those sensitive subjects. That could be dug into later.

Angela put her shirt back on and replied, “Nice Star Trek reference but generally yeah. There are spells to find me but it takes a lot of mojo for that. If she’s here that means it is an elaborate scheme to ‘test’ Yellow Eyes’ kids and that includes you Sam and Natalia.” She picked up her gun and checked the load.

“And that includes this rage demon?”

“I think so,” Angela replied as she tucked her gun in her belt. “Lenya loves elaborate schemes… especially ones that mess with the mind. Physical breaking is boring to her. The mental and emotional give her a high.” She remembered a time when she went through such a scheme. She had nearly broken under the strain until she escaped and then ultimately rescued from that place.

“What did she do to you?”

Angela looked at Sam. Sooner or later that question would be asked. She couldn’t tell Sam about that place… not yet. It wasn’t an issue of trusting the boys. It was about her and her weaknesses and the truth about what she was. Still she could tell him about Lenya. He was going to meet her sooner rather than later. She replied, “She liked to torment me about hunters who died on my watch. Many of them were young and impulsive. I always felt responsible for what happened to them even though the choice had been theirs.” She finished packing up and strapped Absolution to her waist. “Well if I know the hell bitch, she likes old buildings with plenty of areas for her brand of fun.”

Sam recognized that tactic well. Dean was the same way. Angela definitely had more behind her experiences with this Lenya demon but she wasn’t going to talk. He surmised that it must have been painful. He was sure that she trusted him since she told him this much about herself. He just had to trust that eventually she would tell the whole story eventually. At that moment his phone rang and he answered, “Hey Bobby, you got something?”

_Well I never heard about rage demons but they do exist. They are a class of demon designed to play on anger._

“Yeah Angie said as much,” Sam replied as he glanced at Angela while she was looking over a map of the town that she picked up from somewhere. She was marking spots on it and he guessed the most likely places the Lenya demon was going to be. “Is there anything about killing them?”

_Well there is nothing about killing them but there is something else. These things have hierarchies within the hierarchy._

“Meaning?”

_Meaning that this rage demon might not be alone. It is possible that he has minions that are just as capable of producing the same effects._

“Then we have to do a massive exorcism or kill them Bobby,” Angela replied.

Sam wasn’t surprised that she could hear the entire conversation. She did have exceptional hearing. He put the phone on speaker so that it felt less weird in terms of talking with Bobby on the phone.

_Alright genius, how do you plan to accomplish that?_

Angela had an idea. Thing was it would work better if she had both boys but it would have to do with just her and Sam. She grinned as she leaned over the phone, “Exorcisms we can do in our sleep. Absolution is designed to kill just about anything supernatural. The trick is to put it together and basically set traps.”

_Well lay out your plan, general._

Angela glanced at Sam to see that he was on board. When he gave a slight nod, she began, “We know we are dealing with multiple demons so…”

****

Dean woke up to find himself tied to a chair in the middle of a dark room. He groaned in annoyance. Why were he or Sam the ones always tied up? He jiggled in his seat to find out how tight the ropes were. Dad made sure he and Sam knew how to slip everything from knots to cuffs though the straight jacket was a work in progress. He struggled but his wrists were tied down to the arms of the chair and his upper and lower body was tied down as well. “Sonofabitch.”

“My, my, my. I never thought the Winchesters had such dirty mouths.”

Dean heard the feminine voice and turned towards it. “Keep me tied up bitch and you’ll hear plenty more.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Lenya replied as she stepped into the light. Ramos had told her that Dean was ripe for a final dose. She was going to love this. She walked up to the elder Winchester and gripped his head on the chin. She moved it to inspect Ramos’ work. She grinned one of those sugary smiles that would normally make any man melt but it was laced with that distinct brand of malice that would have little sister trying to bite her fingers off. “Hmm, a fine job for such a fine specimen.”

Dean glared as he tried to shake his head free. He could tell this chick was bad news. He recognized her from that image he saw in the mirror that Ramos guy showed him. He retorted, “Glad you approve now get your hands off of me bitch.”

 Lenya tsked as she made a pout but it was spoiled by the fact that she was having fun with this. “Now here I thought a man of your caliber loved it when a pretty woman touches him.”

Dean growled, “On my terms only.”

Lenya smiled as she ran her hand down Dean’s face. She toyed with certain ideas. Ramos said that in order for the last part to work, a thought needed to be suggested and then the subject took off on their own with reinforced hallucinations. Since it had been a while since she played with little sister in a cruel manner, Lenya decided to hit her with the one thing that could hurt. She smiled and gave a slight hum of laughter, “You know I wonder why little sister seems to think so highly of you. You are rude and uncouth and probably likely to shoot first and ask questions later and yet she always seems to be around when you’re in trouble.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know. I call her little sister because that is what she is to me. What do you call her?”

It occurred to Dean right then and there that the bitch standing there was referring to Angela. She called her little sister… did that mean that? “Angie?”

“She lets you call her that? Well then she always had a soft spot for little boys with eyes that looked like they belonged to a little lost puppy. They flocked to her and in the end she folded.”

That word triggered a memory for Dean. He recalled the bitch saying that Angela folded when it came to his dad. Now the bitch was saying that she did the same to others. “Like who?”

Lenya laughed. She was glad Dean remembered the conversation in the mirror. She replied, “Others. Funny thing was they were not like you. Sure they were determined to learn the trade of you hunters but in the end they were gullible and too nice, much like your brother. They came and she took them in and in the end, she folded, leaving them to dry. She’ll do the same to you. In fact she already has.”

Dean struggled against his bindings. It couldn’t be true since Angela always came even when it seemed like it was too late. She had his and Sam’s back. Didn’t she? He had no idea which way to turn since he felt the stirrings of anger towards her. He asked, “What do you mean?”

Lenya laughed. She had glanced off to the shadows and saw that Ramos was ready to do what he wanted. Now the games were to really begin. She looked back at Dean and said, “Oh I think you know what I mean. Little sister is out there and with her favorite kind of pet and while you’re in here. Think about that.” She then walked off into the shadows.

“Hey bitch! Where are you going?”

“I have an appointment as well as you.”

Dean growled as he struggled against the ropes. He had to get free to get to Sam. He grew exhausted after a while and stopped struggling. He had to wait and hope that Sam would notice that he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

It seemed like hours sitting there surrounded by darkness. In fact it was rather clichéd with him sitting in the middle of a circle of light. He had a vague memory of Sam mentioning something like that in a dream and wondered if Sam really did have a vision about this. Then again he wouldn’t know since his brother probably told Angela first and he started grumbling.

“Dean you know that your growling makes you sound more like an animal.”

Dean looked up to see Angela walk in. She was dressed in tight fitting pants and a black leather jacket. She never wore stuff like that but Dean didn’t have trouble believing that she would wear such a thing. She did have the body for it. Staring at her he said, “Angie, come on untie me so we can gank the bastard.”

“Now why would I want to do that? I have you where I want you,” Angela replied as she walked towards Dean. “You see there is a plan and sadly, you aren’t a part of it but your brother… well Sammy is special. Just like Yellow Eyes said he was.”

At that moment Sam walked in. He was dressed in black like Angela and he stood by her looking at Dean. Dean couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He may have made some jokes about Sam getting it on with Angela in the past but he never expected this. “Sam, what are you doing?”

Sam grinned and replied, “Simply doing what was intended for me all along Dean. You don’t have to watch out for me anymore.”

“Sam, this isn’t right and you know it. I told you to be careful about her,” Dean replied as the anger at the evil smiling Angela. If he got out of this, he was going to get the bitch.

Sam gave one of his more tolerant smiles at his brother before moving to stand next to Angela. He looked at her and then at Dean. He then said, “Dean, she’s not the problem. Dad was wrong about the demon. He was just too obsessed with revenge to see the entire picture.”

“As you can see Sammy is all grown up Dean,” Angela replied. She turned to smile at Sam and he returned it. “He’ll change the world.” She then accepted the kiss that Sam gave her and indulged in a few moments in front of Dean.

Dean watched them kiss and walk off into the darkness. He called out, “Sam? Sammy?” He shook against his bonds in frustration and anger.

Suddenly there was an echo of Angela’s voice as she said, “John was easy to fold on. It got me in with the both of you.”

Ramos had been watching the whole thing. It was always fun to watch humans react to the things they saw even though they weren’t real. He watched as Dean interacted with nothing but he knew that what Dean was seeing was his greatest fear and paranoia mounting up. There were still some doubts in there since there were moments that Dean could counter and say that the little bitch was good but that didn’t matter.

Hearing Dean call out to his brother and the subsequent sounds, he knew that the hunter had gotten the low blow that he had conjured up. It was too good to pass up on the fact that the elder Winchester was suffering from extreme daddy issues. Adding in the fact that his ‘guardian’ knew and helped his father become Azazel’s bitch just sweetened the pot. Now it was time to go in as the reassuring friend. He twisted is ring to amp up the juice and went in.

****

Natalia found herself in a room in some building. She had no idea where and began to move around to find out where she was. While she was searching, her thoughts went towards Nana and Jerry and she prayed that they were all right. She thought it foolish of Nana to interfere with that monster that pretended to be Claire. She had to watch as the monster attacked Nana by flinging her to the side like she was a rag doll. She had tried to help and the strangest of things had happened.

When Claire had advanced towards her, she had put her hands up to signal Claire to stop what she was doing. It surprised her when Claire went flying backwards and onto the ground. When it happened again after what happened to Nana, Natalia realized that it wasn’t a fluke. Still she had no idea how she did it and was going to rely on what she knew.

It was a surprise though when she ran into another woman. She turned out to be a monster herself. Natalia could sense that this one was different from Claire. She didn’t have time to react though for she received a nasty bump on the head and she woke up here. Now she had to figure out how to get out of here. As she walked along the room, her foot brushed up against something and metal clanged on the ground.

Looking on the ground, Natalia saw that she had been given her tomahawk and that sent her senses on high alert. If she was being given a weapon, then something was going to happen that required her to have it. She slowly picked it up and checked it to make sure it was still serviceable pre the habit she had been ingrained with since she was a little girl. She looked around the room she was in and saw a window but it was too high and the room was empty. There was a door but when she tested it, she found it locked. So now she was pacing around to scout for potential defenses.

She was in the middle of patrol when the door opened and a woman stepped into the only light in the room. As it were, it was the woman with the white eyes. Natalia held her weapon up ready to defend herself. The woman laughed an annoying tinkling laugh and said, “I never thought I would see one of Uncle’s special kids being able to defend herself. Well there is that one that is currently in the army…”

“What do you want? What did you do to Nana?” Natalia narrowed her eyes while she held her stance. It would do her no good if she were to be attacked from a relaxed state.

The woman laughed, “Don’t worry. Your precious Nana and the brat are fine. In fact it was thanks to the old biddy that we couldn’t get in nor sense you for some time.”

“What can I say? Nana knows a thing or two.”

“And so do you it seems,” the woman countered. “Now I know you can move things but it seems that you have another talent. Tell me something, what have you seen? Was it something to give you hope? Another one of the freaks like you?”

Natalia wasn’t even going to grace the bitch with an answer. She moved in a predatory lope to the other side of the room. She wasn’t going to say that she saw an eagle getting beaten upon by a monster. Instead she said, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

The result was that she found herself yanked forward and pinned to the ground in the center of the circle of light. She tried to move to stand but she couldn’t. It was like someone had literally glued her to the ground. At least her weapon was still in her hand as she looked up at the woman who was smiling at her. The woman said, “I know you are lying but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we found you and your abilities have started to reveal themselves.”

Natalia felt the pressure ease up and she was able to scramble to her feet. She stood up quickly and moved back a ways from the woman to a position she felt comfortable in defending from even though she was certain that if the woman tried something again, she was not going to be able to defend against that. She replied, “What do you want from me?”

Lenya turned when the right question was finally asked by the girl. Most of the brats she had met always asked that question first. This one was actually concerned about others and was willing to endure a little suffering in order to protect things. She was impressed but also disgusted. The girl was another one of those puppies that flocked to people like little sister. She smiled though at the thoughts she just planted in the hunter’s mind earlier and now Ramos was doing his work. She focused her attention back on the girl and replied, “You are special. You have been chosen for something greater than you have ever imagined.”

Natalia didn’t buy this song and dance. Nana had told her long ago that something had happened and that she had been marked by a dark one and for what reason, she didn’t know. It had worried Natalia that it was something bad but Nana had reassured her that there was always a choice. Just because something evil marked her, it didn’t mean that she was evil. It was what bolstered her strength to stand up to this bitch. She replied, “That sounds like something a proud parent would tell their kid. What do you really want?”

“Oh Uncle is a proud parent. You see he chose you just like he chose Sammy boy who should be arriving soon to rescue his big brother Dean.” Lenya watched the girl’s expression exchange to one of recognition. So she had met Sam Winchester after all. Maybe it was possible that Sammy boy had a vision and had been led to the girl. Such was the way with how the psychic brats found each other especially that Ava chit. She smiled as she added while giving a nonchalant look at her manicured hand, “I see you know who I am talking about.”

Natalia heard the name Sammy and tried not to react but she couldn’t help but think it to be a coincidence. She had to cover. If that nice guy was the one this… whatever she was… was after, she felt obligated to protect him to some degree though she was sure that he was more than capable of doing that himself. She replied, “Sam is a common name. You could be referring to Sam who runs the printing shop.”

Lenya let out a laugh. This one was definitely like the stray puppies little sister picked up, trained and then kicked back out on the streets. She replied, “I don’t think Sam Winchester works in a printing shop. Too boring and low for one of his intellect. In fact he is somewhat like you, a stray kind hearted puppy that little sister likes to pick up and keep for a while.”

“You having a sister? I hardly doubt that.”

“Oh we are not related by blood but I consider her one but that is not the important thing at the moment.” Lenya then made a slight motion with her hand. The door to the room opened and Claire and some guy that Natalia recognized as the town drunk walked in. Lenya added, “The important thing is to make sure that you are ready for the big dance number. Since you were lost to us for some time, we have not been able to determine the capabilities you possess.”

“I am not your toy to mess around with.” Natalia backed away, staying at the edge of the ring of light in the room. She didn’t like what the woman had in mind when she brought in Claire, whose eyes were inky black and the town drunk who had a scowl on his face but there was nothing different, no change in eye color, no nothing.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice at the moment,” Lenya replied. “Claire here has kindly volunteered to be your test proctor while I supervise.” Lenya then turned towards the drunk and said, “Check all the entrances and tell the guards to be vigilant. Little sister will be planning something.”

Natalia had no clue as to who was this little sister that the woman was referring to. All that mattered was that she needed to find a way to escape before the one who used to be Claire decided that she was worth being target practice. She watched as they conversed when she noticed something appear in the middle of the circle of light.

It was the eagle she had seen before that had been beaten up and it was sitting on the arm of a warrior. Thinking about it, Natalia recognized him as the brother of Monster Slayer from the Navajo stories she had read. Even though she was Shoshone, she believed that by understanding the other tribes brought greater understanding and unity when standing up for rights from the federal government. This though was strange and she thought that maybe she might have been hit harder on the head than she thought.

The eagle sat on the arm of the warrior and it looked at her as if to see through to her soul. Natalia stared back at both of them. Then the eagle left the arm of the warrior and landed in front of her and was joined by another creature that slunk from the shadows. It was a black wolf. The warrior took off and was fighting some of those monsters while the eagle and the wolf put their backs to her and faced the woman and Claire and looked prepared to fight. The warrior she saw had reached his brother and was trying to free him.

It didn’t take long for Natalia to realize that help was coming but she had no clue as to who or what. It was obvious though that they embodied real people who exhibited the characteristics of the things she saw. If they were coming, she would find out soon enough. She just had to hold out long enough against Claire. She readied herself.

Lenya looked at the girl and noticed something had changed. Time was running short she realized. She looked at Claire and nodded. Claire advanced brandishing nothing but fists. Suddenly Claire charged forward towards the girl.


	14. Chapter 14

Angela poked her head over the edge of the building to check the perimeter. She glanced around looking for any signs of guards, particularly demons. Any humans under thrall would have to be knocked out. No way would she have innocent blood on her hands. She narrowed her eyes as they adjusted like binoculars to pick out details. She was wearing all black since it was easier to hide in the shadows.

The plan was for her and Sam to split up. He would lay down the salt lines at all the entrances so that the demons wouldn’t be able to leave. She would sneak in through the roof and he would through the regular doors. The plan was to knock out the humans and exorcise the demons. It was a kamikaze act for sure but it was the best one they had and Lenya wouldn’t expect it.

Bobby of course thought she was stupid and didn’t hesitate to say so over the phone. She agreed and said that if there was time to bring in help she would. The only thing they had going for them was the fact that they were only dealing three demons for sure. Anyone else was more likely under the thrall of the rage demon and could be taken out with tranquilizers. Problem was that tranquilizers were not in exactly high supply so the rest depended up her getting in to set traps to incapacitate. The only thing she was grateful for was the support that Sam offered even though she could see that he doubted the plan would work but she could see the devotion to his older brother.

How they knew that Dean was in there with Natalia, she didn’t know for sure but she was sure that Lenya would do something like that. She had explained to Sam that Lenya played her games by using people and pressure points in ways that were not conventional. She had described it as being better than an interrogator. It made Sam more determined to free Dean from the influence even though this plan was full of holes.

Crouching at the top of the building near the target building, she scoped it out. She watched the guards and made careful note as she dialed Sam’s phone. When she heard the telltale click of it being picked up, she said, “Two guards… human. North entrance. South only one. Heading in through the windows.” She hung up and made sure her phone was secure in her pocket.

The building was abandoned and near the edge of town. It was the kind that Lenya would use since the bitch was capable of making anyone see anything. An innocent crate could become a giant man eating bear. It was all mind tricks and Angela knew that everyone was subject to them, even her. She couldn’t believe that she managed to narrow it down and that was after Sam had a mind numbing vision. His description of the building helped narrow it down and then they scouted the remaining choices until they spotted the guards she didn’t bother asking him if his head was okay but just handed an aspirin over and went to do her job. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she answered it.

_Got em._

Angela sighed and then said, “Good luck.”

_You too._

She didn’t want to say be careful because it sounded like a jinx to her. Instead she said good luck and it gave her reason to believe that this would succeed. She stood up and backed away from the edge placing her phone back in her pocket. Taking a breath, she broke into a run, increasing her speed as she went. At the edge, she propelled herself forward towards the target building. She was confident of her landing having done this multiple times before.

Landing on the roof in a crouched position, Angela looked around before standing up slowly. She moved her head in the manner a puppy would as she listened for any sign that she had been heard. Listening she heard a slight shuffle and quickly moved to hide. As it turned out, there was a human guard on the roof. She moved quickly and quietly as she would if she were hunting a monster and grabbed the guy from behind. She slowly applied pressure around the neck to make him pass out. Taking no chances, she pulled the pack of zip ties she had and tied the guy up. The less interference the better.

Finished she moved to the edge of the roof. It would have made sense to go down the stairs from the roof but knowing Lenya, there were probably traps lining that way. She did lay down a line of salt on her side just in case. Leaning over the edge of the roof, Angela looked for a ledge and a window to go into. Finding what she needed, she leaned over and slowly flipped her body over while gripping the edge. Her feet touched the ledge and she adjusted to have a firm footing. Once she was steady, she looked around and started walking the narrow ledge like it was nothing unaware that she was being watched by a shadow as it made its way to the ground entrance.

Angela found a window and edged it open enough for her to slip in. She clung to the wall as she closed the window. She heard voices and kneeled. She turned her head to where she heard them and saw Lenya walk out with another girl. At first she thought she was a human but the eyes were black confirming a demon. They were discussing something and it looked important. Fine tuning her ear she listened in on the conversation.

“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t let me finish her.”

“Uncle wants to give her a fair shake at the big showdown. We have her now and our job is to keep her. At this moment those dicks with the Centurion will have figured out a few things by now.”

“The Centurion?”

“Yes, stupid girl. They have already hidden away some hopefuls and it was all little sister’s doing.”

Angela couldn’t help but smile at that. At least her aggressive negotiations worked out for some of the kids and Sam had Dean. She felt a pang for Ava, one she couldn’t save. She reaffirmed her focus on the pair talking. They were joined by a third and this one was a demon as well. She had missed one and maybe more! She could only hope that Sam was sticking to the shadows and laying the salt down. She waited until the group left and started a light run across the beams of the building.

There were hardly any distractions like guards down the way she had taken which was following Lenya and the demon. It made her uneasy with everything that was going on. She knew Lenya was clever and she probably had a few things planned that she didn’t account for. She only hoped that she hadn’t royally screwed hers and Sam’s chances. She slide down the wall to start walking down the hall while looking around.

She rounded the corner and found it empty. There was a door down the end of the hall but no one was in sight yet. She approached the door and was halted when a chill ran down her back. She stopped and turned to come face to face with one of the guards. A flicker of the eyes told her it was a demon. He smiled at her and said, “I knew I smelled a bloody half breed.”

Angela backed slightly away to give herself some space to maneuver since the demon moved in close. Her hand brushed Absolution and she was tempted to pull it out but the hall was too narrow for that kind of fighting. She would have to resort to other means. She narrowed her eyes and smiled a teasing grin and replied, “I never knew that I was so well loved by you hell bitches.”

“She said you weren’t to be harmed but she encouraged us to have fun,” the demon replied as he moved into an offensive stance.

“Queen hell bitch usually allows for some fun. Tell me something, what poor sap did you kill to ride in his meat?” Angela stood ready even though it looked like someone could take her down with a body tackle.

“Some local drunk with no future.” The demon advanced and grinned maliciously at Angela. “Now you can make this easy and I won’t have to present you at near death along with your human pet or I can have him killed anyway and beat your ass and the girl will go into hiding forever.”

Angela narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. She was not going to let anything happen to the Winchesters or the girl Natalia. She said in a dangerous tone, “Where is the girl being held?”

The demon smiled, “Now that I could give you but you would have to earn it. Unless you wish to call for your overgrown giant?”

“I’ll just kill you and find her on my own then.”

The demon smiled. He had been told that if you gave the right pressure points you would get one hell of a fight from her. The boss lady was right. He could practically see the anger boiling from her even though she was poised and calm. “As you wish.” He then launched forward to attack.

****

Sam knew that they probably didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding since they were outnumbered. Yet he had faith that they could because she made it seem like it was possible. It was probably foolish of him to listen to her but he knew that if he backed out now, she would have gone in alone and most assuredly not come back. Before they had left she offered him the chance to back out stating that he didn’t have to put his life at risk just because she said to.

Sam wasn’t going to let her do this alone and he needed to do what he could to help his brother even though they both didn’t know if he was captured by them or not. However when Angela mentioned that it was possible because it was the kind of thing the demon Lenya would do to draw out her favorite playthings, he figured that it was possible and was ready to jump in with both feet. It was then that he had the vision of the location and of the girl Natalia fighting a demon.

Angela had narrowed down the radius when he was able to describe it to her and they found the place. It was mostly her ability to eliminate the likely suspects and of course the fact that she seemed to know this demon so well. That bothered Sam to a degree to the point was that the history between Angela and the demon must have been a painful one. It was disconcerting that she hadn’t wanted to share what that was but that was something that would eventually be talked about later when she was ready. Sam was determined to give her that kindness since she returned it and then some even if Dean couldn’t see it now.

After they found the building, they scouted along and Angela told him what to do in terms of the ground invasion and she would go through the air. He didn’t doubt that she would make it and since she was wearing all black, she would be well hidden. In keeping with the element of surprise, he wore his darkest clothes as well. When she wished him good luck it was his cue to move.

There were two guards at the door. He could have knocked them out with his fists but that would have caused too much noise. He risked two of the tranquilizer darts that Angela had managed to scrounge up from her own bag. Being a hunter himself, Sam knew when to ask and when not to ask and after a while some things just became the norm. He got them both and they were down in an instant. He pulled out the zip ties in his jacket pocket and tied them up before laying down the salt lines.

He entered the building cautiously, holding his shotgun at the ready. It was quiet and he didn’t like it at all. Angela had warned him that there the possibility of traps and that they weren’t necessarily the kind that were of the physical variety. The mental ones were the ones that could kill you or make you end up killing yourself. Sam hoped that he wouldn’t encounter any of those as he inched forward.

It was like a maze inside the building as Sam made his way through. He managed to take out single human guards by making them pass out when he locked them in a head lock. Once they were unconscious, he tied them up with the zip ties. It disturbed him that he hadn’t seen a single demon but it was also a good thing since what Bobby and Angela scrounged up, specialty demons like the rage demon probably could carry out the threats he heard from demons and then some.

He rounded a corner when something swooped at him. He raised his gun and saw something dark that swooped down. He would have let out a shot but whatever it was jumped him and he fell on the ground. His hand went to a pocket knife that he put in his pocket and clicked it open. He brought it up and started stabbing the thing. Sam had no idea what it was but it was making a racket with its screeching as he was stabbing it. Suddenly his wrist was grabbed and he was hauled to his feet with surprising strength. He tried to bat whatever it was away.

“Focus,” a voice ordered.

Sam protested some more even though he recognized the voice. He was pinned to the wall and he was face to face with the guy he met at that feed store. The thing that he had been fighting was gone and all he saw was the empty hallway and the guy in front of him. He looked at the guy who was giving that intensive look that was like he was dinner. “What was that?”

Austin looked at the young hunter. After managing to convince the old man to let him go, he headed to town to search for his friend and the psychic he was to look for. He used the old method of seeking out other Centurion members and spoke the old words. He watched the night sky until he got what he needed and took off.

He knew he was at the right place when he saw her lean over the edge of the roof and flip over. She always was good at that kind of thing. He headed for the ground entrance thinking to meet up with her inside when he realized that someone else was in there. He took a sniff around the door frame to take in the scents. Realizing whose scent it was, he walked in. He came across Sam batting something with a knife. Looking around he realized the hunter had triggered a trap.

Now he managed to get Sam to focus. He replied, “You triggered a trap.” He released Sam and kneeled to look on the floor for the signs of the trap. He smiled as he brushed away the dust on the ground to reveal the sigil. “From the looks of it a mental trap designed to create a hallucination. You must’ve triggered it when you crossed the sigil.”

Sam kneeled to look at what the guy was looking at. He saw the lines. No wonder there were too few guards down this way. There were probably more. He asked, “How do you know so much about these?”

Austin gave a side glance and replied, “Almost every member of the Centurion has gone up against one of these at one point or another. Part of the training.”

“Fair enough but why are you here?”

“I came to help.”

Sam glanced around. He was reluctant but he did make an allowance to give help if the guy gave it back. He replied, “I’m looking for my brother. He may be under the demon’s influence.”

Austin nodded. The hunter before him was good but he was way in over his head. Then again it was probably because he trusted her. He said, “Well you came to the right place. It would be the place that the psychic I came to protect would be taken to.” He walked up and down the halls a slight ways in order to check for any sign of guards. “If this layout is what I think it is, your brother would be in the direction you were taking… unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you were being intentionally led in that direction,” Austin replied as he finished checking down the halls before pulling out a small blade and checking it out. “Tell me something, do you have any idea what you are dealing with?”

“A rage demon,” Sam replied stating the obvious. “And his minions.”

Austin looked at the young hunter impressed that he was keeping his guard up. He was good and probably his brother was a good one too. He replied, “If that is the case, I think he is not working this solo. Since a psychic is involved I am betting an old adversary of our mutual friend is involved. This would be typical of her games.”

“Could be,” Sam allowed. He glanced down the halls, “Why would this be intentional?”

“The elaborateness of the scheme is part of the game. The players have to figure it out. Your brother is a part of it but it’s a lot more. Just be careful and don’t trust anything a demon or a human under thrall tells you. Rely on your instincts.” Austin said nothing more and took off down the hall leaving Sam to continue on alone.

Sam watched the guy leave and wondered what he was going to do and if he was going to screw this up. A part of him thought that he should stop him but he also had an obligation to Dean. If anything Angela would have encouraged him to put Dean first. With reluctance, he continued down the hall. He managed to avoid any more traps by stopping to check mostly junctions or suspicious corners. He would disarm them by scraping away part or the sigil, just like one would disarm a devil’s trap.

It was slow going but he after that first one he wasn’t taking any chances. He made it to another door and cautiously looked around. He checked as he had done previously for any signs of traps. Finding nothing, he decided to take the plunge. It was then that he heard the sounds of guns being fired in the distance. Something must have happened. He grabbed the handle and opened the door to find himself in a room that was dark except for a circle of light in the middle of the room. In the middle he saw Dean and started to run towards him only to find that he wasn’t real. He looked around the room.

“Glad that you could make it, Sammy. I was afraid that you wouldn’t be here for all the fun.”

Sam turned to find himself face to face with the guy in his dream/vision. He pointed his shotgun at him and demanded, “Where’s Dean?”

The guy laughed and replied, “Such devotion to a sibling is rare. Don’t worry though. Dean will be fine but I can’t say the same for you. You won’t need that.” The guy gave a slight wave of his hand.

Sam felt his shotgun being yanked out of his hands and he was left with nothing but what was in his pockets and one thing that he wasn’t even sure was going to work. He stood there looking at the demon as it advanced towards with his hands held up. He backed up and stared at the demon, “What do you want?”

The demon laughed, “It’s so simple stupid human. You and your soul tortured Halfling brought you to us.” The demon looked at Sam with a malicious smile. “Yes Sam. Just a little push and now you’re here, she’s here and things will proceed as planned with our lost one.” He then came towards Sam.

****

Angela crashed through a door grimacing as the wood splintered around her. She slid across the floor as her knife slid from her hand. She looked up as the demon walked through the door towards her. She was on her feet in an instant and ignored the black shadow that was flying around. It was apparent that she had triggered a trap. Instead she focused on the demon.

She stood up and backed into a fighting stance. The demon charged with fists flying and she blocked with her arms and legs in the manner in which she had been trained. She countered with her own set of punches and kicks that made it in or were blocked. Some of the demon’s punches made it in and struck her on the face. At one point, she felt blood in her mouth and she put her hand up to wipe the blood away.

The demon had blood on his mouth where he had been struck. He grinned as he watched her move her hand to wipe her blood away. He said, “Just desserts, isn’t it?”

Angela glanced at the blood on her knuckle that she had wiped from her mouth. She looked at it with interest but then wiped it on her sleeve. She got over that part of her problem. She didn’t expect to see the demon give her a linebacker tackle and send her to the ground while trying to punch her. She blocked them but at one point the demon’s face was close to hers. Then it started.

The demon’s face was close to hers. She could see the blood dripping from his mouth and the smell started to creep into her nose. It was that sweet smell that was hard to forget. She could even smell the charge that was in it. It had been years since she had been this close to it and the smell was still tantalizing.

The drip was this close to her nose and all she had to do was gain an advantage and take it. Her focus was all the demon needed though to grab her and throw her through another door interrupting whatever was going on in there.

“Ah little sister. So glad for you to join us.”

Angela grimaced as she fought against the smell. Even though she was nowhere near the bleeding demon, she could still smell it. Then the voice of the hell bitch in her ears added to the agony that was in her mind. Forcing herself to get up, Angela found out she was in a room. She found that besides the demon that was using her for throwing practice, there was Lenya and one other demon and the girl Natalia. Feeling disoriented, she stood up and moved to put herself between the girl and the demons. She was outnumbered but she was going to go down swinging.

Lenya was glad that little sister finally dropped in. That meant that Sam was here too. The fun was going to begin. She peered at Angela and noticed that something was familiar to her. She grinned in pleasure and gave a mock pout, “Aw, you don’t look too well. Did you smell something that you shouldn’t have?”

Angela could still smell it and the demon got closer till it was standing with Lenya and the other demon. She heard the girl ask, “Are you okay?”

Angela muttered, “Just stay back.” She then faced Lenya and while the smell was still bothering her, she managed to put her game face back on. She could handle this even if she was outnumbered. She did have one trick up her sleeve and she put her hand into her coat pocket and closed her hand around the object inside. She replied, “What can I say? The memory is emblazoned so you can go to hell.”

“Been there and done that as well as you have.”

Angela kept a straight face as she looked at Lenya. That was a low blow. She replied, “I’m still going to kick your ass eventually and get to your rage demon. Your hold on this town is over hell bitch.”

Lenya couldn’t help but laugh. Even after all the pain and suffering little sister still came back for more and out of her moronic sense of fair play. She replied, “That is if you can get past the three of us little sister. If you look around you, what do you have? A girl who barely knows what she is capable of at your back, a boy who is devoted to his brother and your devout puppy playing for his brother and then there is you. You’re in over your head Angie.”

Angela gave a slight toss of her head. She could still make out the activated trap in the background. That could be an advantage if she wanted it to be. She glanced at the girl behind her. The girl looked like she had been in a rumble but capable. Natalia was holding a tomahawk and she knew how to use it. Maybe that might help but then again the girl didn’t know a thing about killing demons. Angela was just going to have to do her best and keep moving. She looked at Lenya and the two demons and grinned. “Since when am I not in over my head? You know I love a challenge.”

Lenya grinned. “I reckon I am going to enjoy this. Attack.”

The two demons flew at Angela and Natalia. Angela pulled her hand out in a fist. She grabbed the one that originally fought her and opened her palm and pressed it against the demons chest. She held tight as the demon struggled against her grip. The words flowed freely out of her mouth as she spoke the exorcism. The demon collapsed as he was smoked out and sent to hell but the female demon was too quick and had Angela flung off.

Angela landed hard on her back and felt the pain of ribs cracking. The girl was at her side trying to help her up. The demon was going to get the jump on her when something flew through the air. It was quick and powerful as it landed on the demon with a fell swoop. Angela looked up and saw a familiar posture that she hadn’t seen in ages.


	15. Chapter 15

Natalia had no idea what she was supposed to do and yet Claire looked like she was ready to fight. The other woman was just standing there and watching. Then Clair swooped forward at a pace that Natalia couldn’t believe was possible. She fell back on the first lessons she had been taught when learning to fight and that was to dodge. The more eloquent term was called running away.

It worked since Natalia was able to dodge the attacks. At one point Claire picked up what looked like a two by four and started swinging it. Natalia used her weapon to block and strike. She was completely surprised when she struck hard at Claire and the blade of the tomahawk became stuck in the shoulder. Claire just looked at the wound, pulled out the blade and tossed it aside before continuing the advance.

It was clear to Natalia that Claire was a monster, much like the ones in the stories that Nana used to tell her. They were the creatures that came from the underworld and inhabited human bodies and couldn’t be killed by any normal means. Now weaponless, she brought up her hands to defend herself. She didn’t make fists but kept the palms open. When Claire attacked, Natalia was able to block and strike with her open palms. The resounding smack of palm against flesh sounded good due to the fact that Natalia was fighting to find a means of escape.

The fight continued, Natalia keeping pace with Claire while Lenya watched on. She could tell that the girl was either clever or really had no clue as to how she handled that marvelous display in the street earlier. The fighting prowess was impressive and it made Lenya wonder if the girl had been raised as a hunter in the traditional sense of the word. She smirked as she said, “Not bad… for psychic brat.”

Natalia heard the woman talk but her attention was focused on Claire. She defended against a strike but missed two punches. One was actually a punch and as it was withdrawn it struck her like a backhand. Natalia glared at Claire. It was obvious that this fight was going to be to the death if necessary even though Natalia got the impression that the other woman didn’t want her to be harmed. She retaliated with a punch and a kick that was strong enough to push the girl back.

The demon Claire stood up and wiped her mouth where she had been bleeding. She looked at her shoulder where the tomahawk had dug in and then back at Natalia. The eyes were still inky black but it was easy for Natalia to see that Claire was pissed and would be going out for blood. Claire looked over at Lenya who was looking impassive at the whole thing and then started forward again.

Natalia stepped back. It would be fruitless to run away since she had seen how fast Claire had moved. The best she would be able to do would be to defend herself and maybe do what she did before she was taken. Looking around she spotted her tomahawk on the ground. If she could get to it, maybe there might be a chance. Her gaze was diverted for too long though and Claire was almost on top of her. It was reactionary for Natalia to wave her arm in a defensive maneuver and will Claire to be shoved aside.

Claire was sent flying into a bunch of crates with a loud crash. Natalia looked on in amazement before making a rolling maneuver to grab her tomahawk. That was twice she was able to do that. The visions came when they wanted but this was the first time she could do something that she wanted done. The thought occurred to her that it was her will for it to move that allowed her to do such a thing. Whether or not she could do it with any object was something that would have to be experimented with but this didn’t seem like the ideal time.

At this point Lenya jumped in and grabbed Natalia by making a slight fist and levitated her in the air. Natalia felt like there was an invisible hand grabbing her and levitating her in the air. Her limbs were splayed out and she couldn’t move them. It felt like her limbs were being torn apart.

Lenya looked on with amusement as she advanced to look at the psychic brat. The girl had the telekinetic ability showing. It wasn’t a fluke like the incident in the street. Uncle would be delighted to know what this one had and would possibly be a good foil for the ultimate showdown that was planned. She smiled at the girl, “Not bad… human. You know when we discovered you, I had to admit I had no idea what capabilities you possessed.”

Natalia struggled to move her head so she could glare down at the woman. It was hard but she managed to counter against it. She narrowed her eyes and retorted, “I had no idea either. Let me down and maybe I’ll be nice about using it.”

Lenya let out a genuine laugh that didn’t sound so girlish as the others.  “Oh you will be let down. You see because we lost you, that doesn’t mean we are going to let you go. Oh no because you are special and with a training up, the inhibitions lowered, you would be perfect to go against the others.”

“The others?”

“Yes the others. Did you think you were the only one?”

Natalia remembered when she met that guy named Sam. He mentioned something about knowing her and Nana went into her usual dialogue about him being a warrior, a friend of courage. What if Sam was just like her? It was a possibility but then again she thought that maybe Angela might be one since she was the one who cured Jerry. This was all way over her head but there were some things that were making sense from her grandmother’s stories. If she got out of this alive, she was going to have a long talk with Nana and hopefully those people she had met. She replied, “I had no idea. I’m an orphan raised by my grandmother.”

“Ah yes. The old biddy did a nice job keeping you hidden this long.”

“She did what she had to and I’m glad.”

“You won’t be when you become what we need you to be.”

“Never.”

Lenya would have said more but a crash sounded and a body flew into the room and skidded across the floor. The body was dressed in all black but she recognized the shape instantly. She dropped the girl and focused her attention on the body. “Ah little sister. So glad for you to join us.”

Natalia watched as the body sailed through the door. In that instant, she had a flash of the eagle sailing in. The body landed between her and the woman just like in her vision. It became clear to Natalia that the eagle, courage, was the same woman who healed Jerry.

_Healer this one is and courage._

Natalia could actually hear her grandmother’s voice in her ear as she put two and two together. She wasn’t going crazy with the visions of the animals and then the warrior twins of legend. She got to her feet and helped the body stand upright. Looking at Angela, Natalia saw a pained look on her face like she was in pain or something and asked if she was okay. She watched as Angela made a slight motion for her to get back.

Natalia could see that something was bothering Angela and she stood ready to help with her tomahawk ready. She then watched and it was like seeing the vision in full swing as Angela swooped like an eagle towards the third monster that had joined them and slammed her palm against him. The words that flowed, Natalia couldn’t make out but whatever it did, black smoke came out of the guy’s mouth and the body slumped to the ground. She made a slight move but the woman with the white eyes was quicker and sent Angela flying backwards towards her. Natalia made a move to help her up when Claire started moving forward.

Suddenly a figure or rather she saw a wolf sail over and landed on Claire. The vision cleared to reveal the young guy that rolled into town earlier. He had his whole body on Claire as he stood and looked down at her and Angela. Then Angela said, “Nice of you to drop in.”

Austin thought he was too late when he left Sam on his own to find her. He had every confidence that Sam could handle his own now that he showed him what to look for in terms of the mind traps that Lenya would have set throughout the place. How he managed to find the room, it was probably a miracle but then again he just followed the sea of destruction caused by two combatants with supernatural strength.

There was also the blood. Dabbing his finger and giving a sniff at one point, he could tell that she would be in trouble. He doubled his speed and prayed that she stayed on the wagon. He couldn’t believe his luck when he found the room and saw her with the girl and two demons. One was on the ground not moving and Austin could tell that the demon had been exorcised. He took a running leap when he saw one of the demons move towards the pair and leapt over Lenya’s head and landed on her minion with extreme force.

If the girl were not possessed, she would have died instantly from being crushed to death by his leap. He stood up on top of the demon and looked at Lenya. He then heard his old friend say that it was nice of him to drop in. He turned and grinned and replied, “You know me, always dropping in unannounced.”

Angela meanwhile stood up and gave a scrutinizing look at Natalia. Assured that the girl was okay she replied, “Typical in all your hunts right Austin?”

“Austin, the orphaned pureblood?”

Austin turned to face Lenya who looked surprised and delighted. He replied with his trademark smirk, “In the flesh so to speak Lenya.”

Lenya returned the smirk with one of her own. She hadn’t seen him coming but she was well aware that this pureblood was capable of many things. She had seen him fight especially when he was paired up with little sister. He was good. She replied, “I reckon I’m going to enjoy this.” She then shouted, “Parker!” Then, as if by magic, humans filed in following the man named Parker. They lined up behind Lenya and all had various things considered weapons drawn. “As I said before little sister, you are in over your head.”

Angela took the opportunity to draw Absolution. It looked like a penknife since it was considered a short blade but it would do the job. She touched the knife that hung on her belt by the hilt as reassurance. She replied, “I knew that coming here but I would rather risk myself to save one than let one be taken by you in order to save all.”

“Good because that will be the chance you have. Tell me something, how is Sam? What did it feel like to leave him alone? I’m sure that he’s having fun with Uncle’s best minion.”

Angela recognized that ploy. She glanced at Austin who was thrown off balance by the demon he had trampled. He landed on his feet and had his arms spread wide ready to attack. Natalia was behind her and ready to strike. Angela looked forward at Lenya and replied, “Part of the plan hell bitch.” She held Absolution ready. She glanced at the minions that just walked in. They were humans under thrall. Lenya could be telling the truth and if that was the case, she had to get to Sam. This was one of the fears she harbored and had resurfaced ever since Christian mentioned this. She also had to protect the girl.

Austin was thrown off balance but he was ready for it and countered sufficiently. He was ready to move. He heard what Lenya said and knew well enough that there were things that Angela kept buried that tormented her if the right buttons were pushed. He said, “Anything you’ve got, we can take.”

“And that it why I like you,” Lenya replied. She took a few steps backwards towards the door. “Have fun trying to make your way to your pet little sister. Alright my pets, have fun.” She made a motion and the humans started forward.

Angela bared her teeth and shouted at Natalia and Austin, “They are under thrall except the two hell bitches. Just knock them out.”

“Got it,” Austin and Natalia replied together as they launched forward to attack. Deep down Natalia was glad that they weren’t possessed or monsters. She wouldn’t know if she would be able to kill someone who was a neighbor. She gripped the head of her weapon and used the stick as a weapon. It was effective. Along the way she managed to use her psychic ability.

Austin noticed and got close and said, “Nice moves.”

“Thanks. And here I thought you were a hired hand.”

“Still am,” Austin replied with a slight chuckle. He then noticed that Lenya was slinking off. It was the usual way for her to escape. He said, “Angie she’s escaping. Go. We can handle them.”

Angela was torn but when Austin showed her something in his hand, she nodded. They would be fine for now. She gripped Absolution and ran after Lenya, shoving the humans aside with enough force to knock them out. She would catch up with the bitch and kill the rage demon.

****

Ever since he saw Sam and Angela leave him to dry, Dean had been working to free himself. He began by rotating his wrists along the arm of the chair he had been strapped to. That only caused the rope to burn his wrists until he noticed that the arms of the chair were nailed in and they wriggled when he did. An idea came to him as he gripped the edge of the arm and began to try and yank it up.

“You know Dean, traveling with you has given me a lot of insight into how you Winchesters think. That and your dear daddy revealed quite a bit.”

Angela stepped into the light again smiling a none too friendly smile. Dean continued to wriggle the arm of the chair to loosen it as he looked up with a glare. “And so you betray him? Betray us?”

“Dean, I never betrayed you. The only thing I ever did was listen and offer advice,” Angela replied as she paced around Dean. “You want to know the difference between you and me when it comes to Sam? The thing is that I listen. I can empathize.” She then circled her face with her finger, “This face garners a lot of trust.”

“I’ll say. Sam was the one that wanted you along, not me,” Dean replied. He felt the arm of the chair loosen. Just a little more and he would be free. “Kid laid down a good case for you. I told him you were probably jerking his chain.”

“Maybe you were right and maybe you were wrong,” Angela replied. “You see Dean, your father used me just as I used him. He wanted the big bad Yellow Eyes and I wanted to gain an in with you and Sam. I wanted your trust.”

“Right put on the pretty little face to hide what a two timing bitch you really are,” a new voice entered. It came from Dean’s right and the light extended to reveal Ramos in a similar position as Dean. He looked calm and relaxed but also angry, the kind of expression a person who had been kidnapped would wear.

Dean was surprised to see Ramos there and wondered if there was something else going on. He still continued to wriggle the arm. Just a little more and he would be free. He said to Angela as a distraction, “So you’ve used us and now you want to hand Sam to the yellow eyed demon on a platter? After everything you’ve done to make sure that doesn’t happen?”

“Sam made the choice Dean,” Angela replied. She grinned as she peered at Dean. “You tell him what to do and he does it out of loyalty to you. He does look up to you but it does get annoying when you won’t let him jump without your say so. You have any idea how frustrating it is to get anything out of the both of you when you give the order to shut the pie hole?”

“There’s a reason for that bitch,” Dean replied. He felt the arm give way closest to his hand. Now he needed to pry the rest of it away. “Sam’s my responsibility.”

“Yes of course. Ever since your daddy gave him to you and told you to run outside and not look back. The night your precious mom died,” Angela said, not being at all gentle with her words. She then laughed and said, “You know Dean, I know people and other hunters say that you are very much like John but the truth is you’re nothing like him. You’re the sad and pathetic little boy that yearns for daddy’s approval with a temperament that is exactly like dearly departed mommy.”

“You’re going to let her insult you like that?”

Dean looked over at Ramos. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, what Angela was saying touched upon things that he often wondered himself. Also he disliked it when people made comparisons between him and his dad and poked at his relationship with his brother and of course his mom was a sensitive subject. He replied, “Shut up. Don’t you ever talk about my mom like that.”

“Did I hit a sore subject? What about the one where daddy told you that you might have to kill your brother?”

“Shut up blood bitch.”

“Oh so you want to play at that? You always were one to ignore technicalities Dean. I don’t need blood unless someone like that asshat Suarez drains me. Then again it was always the fact that I’m not completely human that bothers you. Wasn’t it Dean?” Angela leaned forward to peer into Dean’s hazel green eyes. She smiled that smile that was polite but also said that there was a predatory underneath. She added, “You hate that I’m not completely human and yet to seem to have so much influence over your baby brother. That is also one of your fears isn’t it? That you would be alone.”

Dean grunted in anger. He almost had his arm free. “At least I am human bitch. You may try to be human all you want but you will never be like us. You’re a monster.”

“And that is what you think Sam will become. Just admit,” Angela replied as she gave a playful pat on Dean’s cheek before walking off into the shadows.

Dean glared daggers as he finally managed to pull the arm of the chair free. It was then that Ramos said, “Looks like what I dug up doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Dean began to pick at the knots in the rope tying his left arm down. It was going to be slow going since they were tied pretty tight. “Looks like it. Damn bitch. When I get free…”

“You should do like I said, sever all ties.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Dean didn’t say anything more as he managed to get his wrist undone. It became easy to get his upper arms free of the rope but still time consuming. He inwardly cursed at the bastards who had to make such tight knots. He did have to appreciate it though since he hadn’t met too many things monsters or human that could tie knots that well. It could be considered an art form.

Ramos watched Dean work and gave a slight smile. The illusions were so lifelike that you had to be someone who had been had by them before to spot them. It was a gift and one he exploited completely for special cases. The usual of what was happening in the town was child’s play. All he had to do was crank up tension and anger and give the right situation and it exploded. The illusions that played on worst fears and dark secrets, that took time in getting to know the intended victim and then exposing them to the usual and pump up paranoia and voila.

The last encounter with the Chaser bitch touched some nerves with Dean. Certainly it would be something if the bitch busted in or even if Sammy boy did. He was to get his desire when a door opened and Sam walked in with his shotgun drawn. Now it was time to have fun. With a slight twirl of his fingers, the ropes fell away and he stood up. It didn’t matter if Dean was looking his way or not. All the hunter would see is Sam and then him tied to the chair. What Sam would see would be a different matter.

Ramos watched as Sam ran to his sibling only to find that it wasn’t real. He called out, “Glad that you could make it Sammy. I was afraid that you wouldn’t be here for all the fun.”

The reaction that Sam gave was typical of a hunter and he was amused by his immediate concern for his brother. In all honesty, Ramos was not that impressed with Sam Winchester. As far as he knew the only abilities the kid had were a penchant for visions and an atypical response to healing from an infection. The latter was a discovery of serendipity when Azazel’s minions were spying on the Chaser bitch.

Ramos was under orders not to harm Sam but that didn’t mean having the brothers go at it with each other. He smiled as he replied to Sam and then took his shotgun away with just a swoop of his hand. He then said, “Now Sammy how does it feel to be outgunned? Tell the truth now since I know you haven’t encountered someone like me before.”

Sam looked at the demon staring at him. He knew now that he was facing the rage demon and he could hear the warning that Angela had given him about engaging the rage demon or the one called Lenya. It looked like he wasn’t going to get the opportunity to avoid a fight and he had that gut feeling that Dean was somewhere inside that room. In fact there was one piece of advice that he would be able to listen and act on from Angela and that was to get to Dean no matter what happens. He looked at the demon who was waiting for an answer and replied, “I’ve had worse odds before.”

“And that was when you had your brother with you,” Ramos replied. “Tell me something, what is it about your brother that would have you drop everything good in your life and go chase after the things that go bump in the night? Is it that psycho family bullshit you meat suits like to kid yourselves with?”

Sam swallowed slightly as he moved when the demon moved. He had no idea what he was going to do next and he didn’t like where this conversation was going. Briefly he recalled that guy Austin and what he said about not listening to the demons. It was good advice since demons were known to lie and manipulate but Sam got the feeling that this demon could do more than that. He had to buy some time if only to be able to locate if Dean was in the room. He replied, “Yeah because he is my brother.”

“Ah so big brother bosses little brother around,” Ramos confirmed. He glanced over at Dean who was almost finished untying himself. He could see him glancing over here and smiled. What Dean was seeing was not necessarily what Sam was seeing. He turned back to Sam and replied, “So you really couldn’t go through with ditching your brother. Went to school and got a girlfriend and now you’re back in the same rut. Oh and you picked up a friend. And one who keeps secrets. You really know how to pick ‘em kid. No wonder daddy told you that if you walked out the door to never come back.”

Sam couldn’t help it and punched the demon hard. That had been one of the hardest things he had done in his life and one of the more painful ones. It was a sore spot just like one of the many that Dean and Angela had and the demon knew how to push buttons to get to it. He replied, “You don’t know anything about me or my brother.”

“But I do Sam. That is why you are here.” Ramos smiled as he wiped the blood away. He advanced towards Sam and delivered a hard punch that sent him flying. He watched as Sam hit one of the beams and landed hard. “Pressure points allow for what truly lies underneath to surface especially weaknesses. However those same pressure points can be triggers to other things like your abilities.”

Sam grimaced from being thrown and was up on his feet in an instant. He touched the thing hanging from his back to make sure it was still there. “What do you mean?”

Ramos laughed. He then replied, “Don’t be stupid Sam. You and I both know that you are special as well as the girl with the old biddy for a grandmother.”

“Natalia?”

Ramos nodded. “Of course. Our lost little psychic and one of more favored ones in the same town. Such excitement.”

Sam didn’t care to listen anymore. He lunged forward and started swinging. He got a few punches in and received the same treatment in return. He then pulled out what he had hidden and held it up to stab the demon. Suddenly he was tackled from the side and a fist punched him hard.


	16. Chapter 16

Dean heard the sound of a door opening and turned to glance over and see who it was. A pang of relief overcame him when he recognized his brother but it dampened when he saw Sam dressed in dark clothes. He failed to notice that it wasn’t the same set of clothes as what he had seen earlier. All he saw was that they were dark and he knew he had to do something to save his brother.

Dean watched as Sam and Ramos squared off. Ramos had his hands up and was talking to Sam, begging him not to hurt him. Sam on the other hand was holding a shotgun up and pointing it at Ramos. His brother had that hardened look he got when he was focused on hunting things and he wondered if his brother really was gone now and that he would have to do what Dad had told him he might have to do.

“Where is Dean?”

“Please don’t hurt me,” Ramos said to Sam. “I don’t know. I was brought here against my will.”

“You don’t fool me. You’re one of them. One of those bastards trying to interfere,” Sam replied. He kept his shotgun pointed at Ramos.

Dean sped up his untying himself. He was on his ankles now. At this point he would have killed to have a knife on him. It would make this go all the much faster. He kept glancing up to watch his brother interrogate Ramos and threaten him to tell him where his brother was. _Sammy don’t do it. It isn’t you. I’ll fix this and save you._

Ramos managed to knock the shotgun away from Sam at some point. Dean was glad that Sam wasn’t holding a gun but the look was still in Sam’s eye. Sam was going to kill someone. Dean finally managed to free his legs and was pulling the rope away when Sam punched Ramos and sent him flying. Dean looked up and saw one of his fears come to light. Sam’s eyes were inky black.

Ramos was back on his feet and he punched Sam and knocked him away. Dean watched as Sam got back on his feet and started swinging back at Ramos. The two were locked in a fist fight with each getting their licks in. At one point, Dean saw Sam pull out something from behind him. From the angle he was at he could make out a blade. Enough was enough. He had to save Sam and make that blood bitch pay. He pulled the last of the rope free and slunk out of the light. Taking a breath and hoping that Sam would forgive him, Dean took a running start and just as Sam was about to plunge the blade into Ramos, he tackled him. It was a hard tackle and Dean had the advantage clambering on top of his brother and punched him right in the face.

****

Sam turned to see who was punching him and saw that his brother was the one that had tackled him. He had to let go of the blade in order to block the second punch that was coming to his face and regretted it. Still he had to stop his brother from doing something stupid. He grabbed his brother’s wrist and grunted, “Dean, what are you doing?”

“What Dad told me to do Sam.”

Sam tensed up as Dean set himself up to throw another punch. It was clear that Dean was completely out of it. He blacked the punch and tried to get Dean into a headlock. He glanced over at the demon and he was grinning back at him. Sam narrowed his eyes as he tried to get Dean off of him. He grunted as Dean gave him a punch to his gut. It gave him an opening to push his brother off and get to his feet. “Dean stop.”

Dean was on his feet looking regretful. His brother was looking at him with inky black eyes and telling him to stop. He couldn’t though. He had to though. He replied, “I can’t do that Sam. Not if there’s a chance to save you from the demon in you.”

Sam frowned at his brother’s statement. He looked over and found the demon standing there looking amused at the sight. Sam ducked as his brother swung his fists at him. He didn’t want to hurt Dean but he realized that he was going to have to take his brother down if he was going to take down the demon. He blocked another punch and swung at Dean only to miss. “Dean, you have to stop. It’s me Sam.”

“You’re not Sam,” Dean replied as he punched Sam in the face. He then rammed Sam into the wall and started reciting the exorcism rite.

“Dean, I’m not a demon,” Sam grunted. Even though he was taller than Dean, his brother knew how to pin him down. Even growing up Sam had never been able to beat Dean in a wrestling match. Still Sam was counting on the fact that Dean would be too distracted to keep as tight a grip on him.

Dean looked at his brother and then glanced at Ramos who was looking at them both. The guy looked scared. At least he was saving somebody and maybe he could save Sam too. He looked at his brother who was struggling against his grip. It didn’t occur to him that if Sam had a demon inside of him, he would have used the demon mojo. He paused in the rite to reply, “Tell that to the mirror.” He then continued with the rite.

Sam grunted as he wriggled his hands to grip his brother’s jacket to try and push him off. “Dean, stop this. The demon is making you see things.”

Dean finished the rite. The problem was that he didn’t see the demon smoke out. Dean frowned in confusion. He did everything that he was supposed to. Why didn’t the demon leave his brother? He looked at Sam to see the inky black eyes still there.

That was the distraction that Sam needed and brought his arms down with all the force he could muster on his brother’s arms to release him. He then brought his knee up to Dean’s gut and followed through with a punch to the face just as the door burst open and a blonde haired woman ran in and turned to face whoever was chasing her and waved her hand at them.

Sam didn’t pay attention to that however. The last punch stunned Dean enough for him to grab his brother in a headlock. It was a trick that Angela had shown him on one of their pit stops a few weeks ago. She taught him how to apply enough pressure to make someone pass out but not kill them. He remembered because he practiced on her. He applied the pressure on his brother. He could feel Dean struggle trying to get free and increased the pressure. Dean started to grow limp but Sam didn’t let go until he was sure that Dean was passed out. He then lowered his brother to the ground. “Sorry Dean.”

Ramos watched the whole thing. It was rather funny to see poor Dean trying to exorcise a demon out of his brother and nothing happened. He half expected Dean to try something else but he knew that Dean would rather die first than do the unthinkable and kill his brother. It was a surprise though to see Sam counter with the arms and the knee and then the punch to the face. It was even more surprising to see Sam grab his brother in a chokehold. At first he thought that the younger Winchester wouldn’t be able to go through it but in the end, the elder brother passed out. Ramos couldn’t help but be impressed by Sam’s ability to take down the one person that meant so much to him. He clapped, “Well done Sam. I never thought that you would be able to take out your own brother.”

Sam felt bad enough that he had to beat the crap and knock his brother out. Now the demon was going to make a big deal over it. He replied, “I have to do what I have to.”

“Now that sounds familiar,” Ramos replied mocking a thoughtful pose. “Ah yes big brother Dean said the same thing when he told you what dear old daddy told him. Seems like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Sam swallowed to keep his temper in check as he looked around. He saw the blade not too far from him. He replied, “Shut up. You’ve done enough here.”

Ramos gave a slight toss of his head. “You’re right Sammy boy. This has gone on long enough.” He then produced his own blade just as Lenya moved further in and was being chased by none other than the Chaser bitch. _So she did leave them behind for revenge._ He focused back on Sam and twirled his blade. “What say you Sammy? Care to try and stand against me?”

Sam glanced at the blade where he had dropped it and then back at Ramos. He finally acknowledged the fight going on between Lenya and Angela. She wouldn’t be able to help him on this one. He had to do this on his own. He looked at the demon, “Fine.”

Ramos grinned as twirled his blade. “Excellent.” He pointed his blade at Sam and then lunged at him.

Sam dodged the attack and dove for the blade. He fell short of it but his momentum allowed him to slide towards it. His hand closed around the hilt and he brought it in front of him, pointing it at the demon. Just as she had taught him, he spoke the words and the blade came to life, the etchings that were hidden appeared. Sam looked at it with a surprised look as he stood up with it pointed at the demon.

Ramos was taken aback by the sight. It was not possible. How could a Winchester get ahold of that blade? Unless… he glanced over at the Chaser bitch who had just gotten beaten down by Lenya again. She had Absolution and that meant that Sam had… His eyes narrowed at the expression that Sam was wearing and said, “So you have one of the weapons of the three kings. How quaint.”

Sam got over his surprise and held the blade firmly. He had seen this weapon only once before and that was in Chicago. He was surprised when she produced it from her duffle and handed to him before they had set off. She explained a few things about it and taught him the words in how to activate it. Once activated, it had the ability to kill anything, even a demon. She explained that he needed something besides salt rounds and he went with that. He agreed to take it and now he was grateful that he had something now. He glared at the demon and retorted, “Anything to end this.”

“Good,” Ramos replied with a grin. He then launched forward swinging his blade at Sam. At this point, he didn’t care if he harmed Sam. Just as long as he was alive and Azazel would be pleased. His blade clanged with Sam’s and sparks flew. He was delighted that the boy could fight and gave him all that he got. He heard Lenya’s laughs and could tell that she was having fun.

****

Lenya knew that little sister was following her as she went through her maze of fun. Every so often she would turn to see her bat away her little mind games and familiars that she set up in their traps. It seemed that the time for caring about being careful was past. All she had to do was get to where Ramos was and where her own toys would be of use. She was not going to challenge little sister as long as she held that accursed blade.

She ran at her skip run until she was almost to the room. She then turned to wait for little sister. She would have a little fun now. And so Lenya waited for her but the delay became boring fast. She wondered if she had gone too fast or if little sister had gotten slower. She was to have her answer when a flash of silver came towards her head.

Angela couldn’t stop to check for traps that Lenya had lain. She had to run through them and activate the horrors within. The illusions she could deal with but the familiars were something else. They required more put into the fight and they were the things that slowed her down. There was one particular familiar that made her realize that she couldn’t just fight as she normally did. She would have to tap into that which she had been reluctant to.

Angela lost sight of Lenya but once she finished the familiar, she was able to pick up the trail. She knew that Lenya was still there. She wouldn’t leave without having her fun with all the players she had placed on this board. Once she was certain she had caught up, she slowed down. Lenya would be waiting and she wanted to make it agonizing to her and try to catch her off her guard. She was able to get her chance and she snuck up on Lenya and swung Absolution in a wide arc designed to chop off her head. She almost had Lenya but at the last second, the hell bitch ducked and Angela was thrown off balance just enough for Lenya to give her a hard kick to her midsection to send her flying.

“Nice try little sister but you are still too slow,” Lenya laughed when she dodged Angela’s attempt. She was surprised that she was able to get the drop on her like that. That told Lenya that little sister had been training but it wasn’t enough. She turned and walked towards the door and opened it with force. She turned just as she burst in talking a brief moment to see the Winchester brothers having a slug fest and Ramos enjoying the moment. She turned back to see little sister getting up and starting a charge run. Time to get serious. Lenya smiled and made a waving motion with her hand.

Angela felt herself being yanked off her feet and sent flying into the walls. She landed hard as she had many times before and it was painful and annoying. Before being sent flying, she managed to catch a glimpse of Sam fighting his brother. The last thing she saw was him grabbing Dean in the chokehold she had taught him. She hadn’t wanted this but since the demons made it possible, they would just have to press on and try to keep the casualties to a minimum.

Lenya grinned as she watched Angela get slowly to her feet. Little sister was growing weary of the fighting. It was now time to step it up and little sister would follow suit. She walked over to one of the walls and pulled out two short blades. It was her best skill even though she was capable of many things. She walked up to stand a distance from where Angela had stopped. She spoke with a wry grin, “Well here we are little sister.”

Angela took the moment to take a breath as she held Absolution ready. She had no idea why Lenya brought her here except to pick up her weapon of choice. Her senses went to high alert even though she was weary from the fighting. She replied, “Indeed… Lenya.” She twirled Absolution in her hand to indicate that she was ready for the battle.

Lenya grinned as she watched Angela. “Good.” Then as quick as a flash, she leapt at Angela and swung two quick strikes. The fight was on.

Angela brought up Absolution and blocked the strikes. She had fought Lenya once before in the distant past but that didn’t mean that she knew everything about her fighting style. Lenya was very old and the kind to surprise you. Angela countered by blocking Lenya’s relentless strikes that followed. When the opening came, she thrust and parried against Lenya who blocked with conventional blocks and counterstrikes. Sparks flew off the clashes between Absolution and Lenya’s blades and the smoke started to appear.

Lenya grinned at the smoke. That meant little sister was fighting with every ounce of strength. She countered the thrust coming at her and she brought her blades down to block and then brought them up to lock Absolution. She then pushed Angela into the wall and brought her face close to Angela’s and looked intently in her eyes. “You have remembered the old days well.”

Angela grunted as she tried to unlock Absolution. Lenya had her locked up and she needed to break free. As much as she tried to play fair, now was not the time to be squeamish over it. She felt her eye teeth elongate as she grinned and in a lightning quick move, she head butted Lenya right in the forehead. She watched as Lenya backed away in astonishment as she stepped up. “That’s a little something new.” She then swung Absolution in an arc.

Lenya couldn’t believe that little sister would resort to the more vulgar moves like the head butt. She had always known her to fight fair and that she had an obsessive sense of honor. Then again it could be taken as a sign that little sister was growing up. She blocked the blow and countered with strikes of her own. She stepped up the pace and went faster until her blade nicked little sister on the arm and then she used her power by pointing her two fingers at her and then making a fist. She watched as little sister began to make gurgling sounds as if she were choking. “New and interesting. How far will you hold to your sense of honor?” She concentrated on making the force tighter and the burbling increased.

Angela stepped back when the blade nicked her. It burned like any cut and she could tell that it was deep. If she was lucky she wouldn’t need stitches afterwards. She was unprepared for the invisible force that closed around her throat and started to squeeze. It was pure reaction to try and reach to grab the hand around her throat but she stopped when she realized that it was pointless to do so. The only thing she could try to do was to try and breathe. She turned her eyes to lock onto Lenya’s. She managed to reach down to her belt while focusing Lenya’s attention on her eyes. She managed to spit out, “As long as I can… hell bitch.” She then made a throwing motion and was released from the hold Lenya placed on her. She dropped to her knees to take in deep breaths.

Lenya felt the biting sting of the knife as it buried itself into her abdomen. It was one of those special blades that little sister had acquired and it burned like hell. Growling and roaring in pain she gripped the handle of the knife and pulled it out. She said, “You knifed me you stupid little bitch.”

Angela was trying to get to her feet. She looked at Lenya and replied, “Aw did my little toothpick hurt you the big bad Lenya?”

The punishment was being flung with more force than necessary now that Lenya was pissed. “Don’t play cute little sister. You just ruined a perfectly good and expensive dress. Do you have any idea how hard it is to wash out blood?” She advanced towards Angela holding the knife in one hand and her two blades in the other.

Angela couldn’t help but laugh even though the last toss was much more painful than the others. She had pissed Lenya off and knew that she wasn’t going to be careful about sparing her from death. She replied, “I have no idea. I usually shop for things that are not of the dry clean only variety.”

Lenya came up close to Angela and, in her rage, she gave a hard backhand that sent little sister flying again. This time though it was enough to force little sister to let go of Absolution. Lenya watched as the blade clanged to the ground. She looked down at her hand and saw the blood dripping from the blade. She had an idea and an evil grin came across her face. She advanced towards Angela again. “You think you are tough with your sarcasm? It really is nothing more than the vulgar part that you picked up from these pathetic human pets of yours.”

Angela felt Absolution fly from her hand as she sailed across the air. This was the most times she had been thrown through the air. She turned her head to look around and saw Sam holding his own against the other demon with the blade that she had given him. Apparently she had been right in giving it to him and teaching him in that short time how to work with it. Someday she would teach Dean, when he wasn’t under the influence of an emo demon. She turned to see Lenya advance towards her. She looked thoroughly pissed. She replied as she stood up, “Sarcasm is a great foil.” For good measure, she gave a slight chuckle.

Lenya smiled, “Maybe but I prefer a direct approach.” As fast as ever, she swooped down making the move to swing the knife at Angela who ducked as she expected. This allowed Lenya to push little sister into the wall and move the knife with the blood in front of her face. It was pure heaven to see the blood on it. To have it still dripping was even better. She brought it close to Angela’s face and said, “Such as bringing back memories of all the fun we had.”

Angela then saw clearly the blood on her knife that Lenya was holding close to her face. She had barely lost the scent of the other demon because it was just a demon. This new scent that assailed her olfactory senses was a memory. Her eyes lighted on the blood that was running down the blade, each drop looking like the liquid relief of water. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her head away. “No.”

“You know you want it little sister. Even after all this time staying on your proverbial wagon, you still can’t stop thinking about it,” Lenya whispered in Angela’s ear. “It calls to you like a sweet song just as yours calls to me. You will always be mine.”

“And that will be a cold day in hell,” Angela replied as she locked her tawny eyes onto the baby blues of Lenya. She could smell it that was true and she felt the cravings for it but she was not going to give in to it. She was better than that. It was what Mary had told her long ago after a particularly nasty hunt. Her eyes narrowed as her body quivered from countering Lenya’s strength.

****

Nana checked on the baby who was sleeping fitfully. He then woke up and started crying and the old woman picked him up. Tucking the boy onto her shoulder, she made a slight noise as he tucked his head into the crook of her neck. She guessed that the baby knew what was happening right now and that it was in part to the healer that walked through the door earlier.

The old woman knew that the demons had come for Natalia. She had been anticipating it for years ever since Natalia first started having strange dreams when she was a child. At first they were discounted as normal childhood dreams but when Natalia started describing instances of animals and monsters, Nana started paying attention. After a while they stopped and didn’t resurface and the old woman wondered if it were something being sent by the old ones and she just wasn’t paying attention enough. Still she was not going to let her guard down and made sure that the places they lived in had the appropriate protection against the evil that she was sure was after her granddaughter.

When Natalia turned 22, they started again. Like before, they were dreams but not of people, but of animals. Nana would ask Natalia to describe them and she would mull over them. After a time Natalia thought it was her version of therapy and would try to cover up when she had one. Nana tucked the boy closer onto her shoulder and listened as he fell back asleep. She put him back down and went to check the store while she waited. As she checked, she thought about the healer that had stumbled in literally.

Nana was old and she had been a faithful follower of the old ways all her life just as she had been taught by her elders before her. She had begun to teach Natalia when she was young and the girl knew what she had learned but believing was a different matter. Nana thought that there were too many other things to distract from what was important but Natalia was one of the rare ones trying to find a balance and she was doing well with it. As a follower of the old ways, Nana was more in tune to the going on that happened spiritually around the town. She was one of the first to pick up on the fact that something was out of place especially after the first incident. Natalia thought it was a freak accident but the old woman knew better.

Then came the healer. Nana knew who and what she was from the start and she saw that she was like her people’s most sacred animals but it was like she was torn in two. The old woman knew that the healer had a past that few would understand completely which is why she gave the healer the pendant. It was a protective one and would eventually show the true protective spirit. Nana had no doubt the healer would save the town and heal it. Nor did she have any doubt that the warrior brother with her would help.

When they came across her in the street with a bleeding cut, she saw the look of determination on the healer’s face. Before the pair had left to go rescue her granddaughter, she had spoken a few words to the healer in her language. She had known that the healer wouldn’t understand them completely but it would do.

Looking out the window, the old woman could see clouds starting to form. There was going to be no moon tonight. Somewhere out there, the healer and her friend were going up against more odds than eve possible. Now it seemed like a good time to do what is done for every warrior. Nana checked on the baby once more before standing before one of her sigils and she began to chant in her language and prayed that the warriors would be able to hear it.


	17. Chapter 17

Natalia swung the stick of her tomahawk at her assailant and the guy dropped like a sack of potatoes. She had been swinging and kicking with all of her might since these people, her neighbors and friends, were like they were on drugs and they were hyped up. She found that some were accusing her of transgressions that had been long forgiven and forgotten. Whatever was happening in this town really messed with people’s heads. She glanced over towards Austin who was battling Claire.

Austin was having fun in the sense that he was kicking demon ass. He did not enjoy though having to deal with humans who were under thrall and in some cases given a turbo charge. At least he kept in mind that they were still human and that their bodies were fragile. Facing down the demon in front of him, he could tell that even with an exorcism, the girl would be dead. More likely she was killed and then the demon inhabited the body. You could say that it was some strange sense of morality but then again the probability that the demon killed the girl before taking possession was higher.

The demon seemed hell bent on getting back at him for jumping her when he dropped in. He didn’t care, the harder the better just as long as they didn’t have something that could kill him. He pushed off the girl and jumped back. He had what he needed in his hand but the bitch wasn’t making anything easy. He decided to have a little fun. “One question.”

Claire looked at the guy who had pretty much crushed her when he fell in. He was not human, that much she knew and he could pack a punch. He then did a one-eighty and backed off to say something stupid. She had no idea what his game was except she had to keep that fist away from her. She had seen what had happened to Rafe and she would be damned before she would let that happen to her. “You a babbling fool now?”

Austin smirked in his usual fashion, “No. Just asking how you like having your meat suit prepared?”

It was a bad joke and Austin knew it as well as Claire. She narrowed her eyes in disgust as he continued to smirk at her. She replied, “Stupid pureblood.”

“Just curious,” Austin replied in his devil may care attitude. It was one of his talents and allowed him to appear like a fool when in fact he was taking everything in. Like right now he could tell that Natalia was doing fine on her own. There weren’t that many humans that needed to be put down especially after Angela did her parting the Red Sea act. “After all it’s not every day that I meet a rather pretty demon who can be a complete and utter bitch so I am just trying to make polite conversation before this fight gets further messy.”

“Are you always this talkative when you engage a demon?”

Austin smiled as he played with the amulet in his hand. One of the humans that were enthralled came at him ready to give a punch. His gaze not leaving the demon, he grabbed the guy and gave him a punch in the right spot to knock him out. He replied, “Part of my charm.” He grinned and assumed a posture that looked like it belonged more at a casual party than a battle.

Claire had no idea if this Centurion monkey was clever or pretty stupid. He was acting like this was a big joke and yet he was serious when it came to fighting. He was a complete contradiction. “You are insane.”

“I’ve been called that,” Austin replied. He saw that the last of the humans were taken down. They had been hit hard enough to lay them out for some time. The girl Natalia was looking at him and the demon. He tried to warn her away with his eyes. The message though didn’t get through and Natalia made her way towards the demon Claire making him improv a distraction. “Most people think I’m a fool.”

“That would certainly fit.” Claire still wasn’t sure of what to make of this monkey but he did make this fight interesting; more so than playing with one of Azazel’s special brats. Still there was something off about the way he suddenly shifted. She would play his game for a while and then surprise him and see what he would do. She smiled, “You act like one but you certainly don’t look like one.”

Natalia finished the last of the people. She was surprised that she even survived that granted that she had help from the guy Austin and Angela blazed through after that blonde haired woman. Now there was only Claire left and Austin was talking to her. She had no idea what his game was but she had seen him twirl something in his hand around his fingers. She figured it was something like what Angela had done to the town drunk.

Thinking about it, Natalia looked over at the body. It looked cold and pale. She could tell that he was dead. It was possible that whatever was in him had killed him and it made her angry that these monsters thought they could mess with the good people here. She looked at the confrontation that was going on. Claire’s back was to her. Maybe she could help Austin out. She twirled her tomahawk to get into position and advanced slowly and quietly as she had been taught while ignoring Austin’s signal to get out. She caught his eye to indicate that she was going to come up from behind. She did have to admit that he was good in staying in character as he talked to Claire.

Natalia was almost on top of her when Claire whirled around and motioned with her hand to send Natalia flying through the air. Natalia had no idea how she managed to hold onto her weapon but that was a moot point as one of the townspeople got up and grabbed her in a bear hug. She could hear Claire laughing.

Austin’s reflexes were quick but not quick enough as the Natalia girl went flying through the air. He couldn’t do anything to soften the blow but he could grab Claire and he had her in a powerful grip. He pressed the amulet in his palm into her back and held it there. It was designed to hold the demon while the wielder performed the exorcism; like a portable devil’s trap. He watched as the girl was grabbed by one of the humans that apparently hadn’t received a hard enough blow and he growled into the demon’s ear, “Tell them to let her go bitch.”

Claire let out a laugh as she watched the Natalia girl become bound by the bear hug. She replied, “You really think that we are going to let go of one of Azazel’s special kids? Heck it was a treat to get two of them in the same building.”

Austin resisted the urge to rip the jugular out of the demon and retorted, “Let her go.”

“No.”

Austin narrowed his eyes and then started on the exorcism. After the first line, he felt the demon twitch in agony. He said, “Keep this up and it will be just as bad later on.”

Claire managed a chuckle as she replied, “You get rid of me, I’ll just claw my way out and Azazel still gets his brat.” She made a motion.

At that, the human holding Natalia squeezed around her midsection. It was obvious that he was going to try and break a rib or two. Austin knew that he had to help her but he also had an obligation to get rid of the demon. He glanced at the girl and she nodded to indicate that he was to continue. He replied, “You’re still going back to your cage.” He then continued with the rite, holding on tightly as the demon writhed against being forced out. Before he finished, he glanced over at the girl who was straining against her bonds. Suddenly the guy holding her dropped to the ground and the girl stumbled but managed to look around her. Austin hurriedly finished the rite and the demon smoked out leaving a limp body in his arms. One look and he could tell that she was dead and he looked at the girl and gave a slight shake of his head as he laid the body down. He moved to stand guard when some of the humans started stirring and looking around in confusion.

****

Sam ducked to avoid the swing that was intended for his head. He was used to swinging an iron poker like a bat and could wield a machete but a sword like this one was a little bit different. It could be considered a miracle that he hadn’t had it knocked out of his hand already. At least the demon hadn’t tried to use his mojo on him. The sounds of Angela and Lenya fighting were in his ear and he could pick out the sounds of her grunting from the strikes she had received and he spared a glance at his brother who was still passed out on the ground. He looked up at the demon who was beckoning him to charge recklessly. Sam was not going to do that and moved to encourage the demon to attack.

Ramos had to admit that Sam was impressive with the blade even he seemed a bit unsure of how to use it. That had to make Ramos extra careful since a powerful blade in unskilled hands could be just as deadly if it were wielded by someone who knew what the hell they were doing. He moved and then lunged in a thrust attack knowing that Sam would probably never go on the offensive. He taunted, “Afraid to make a move without big brother’s approval?”

Sam swallowed as he blocked. His arms were growing tired since the demon was using his strength effortlessly and Sam could feel the strikes vibrate through the blade. He didn’t appreciate the ribbing since it was making it difficult to keep his temper in check. His continuous glancing over at Dean helped him to keep his focus on what he was there for. He replied, “It’s because of my brother that I am going to gank your ass.”

Ramos chuckled and gave a shrug as he replied, “Your funeral but I will say this kid: you’re good.” He then launched into a hard attack that nearly knocked Sam off his feet. “But not good enough.” He grinned as he continued to thrust his blade towards Sam.

It was not Ramos’ intention to hurt the younger hunter… well not kill him since this one was considered to be a prime one just like the girl they nabbed. That didn’t exclude him from trying to hurt the kid. Heck it may help him grow up a little along with the heckling he was dishing out. He flew at the boy and was impressed that he could keep up.

Sam kept it up with the determination to help his brother and the town on his side. He blocked the thrusting blade until a strike got in and nicked his forearm. He jumped back at the sting and glanced to see the red gash form and the demon was chuckling at his handiwork. Sam shook his arm to take away some of the pain and countered with strikes of his own. Somehow he managed to get his sword locked with the demon’s and he couldn’t pull free.

Ramos grinned as he watched the younger brother try to break free. With a deft move, he knocked the blade out of the hunter’s hand and pointed his blade at him and walked forward to try and drive Sam into a corner. It almost worked.

Sam knew that the demon was going to drive him into a corner. He timed the move until he was sure to move and took it. He dodged the thrust and it allowed the demon to be thrown off balance as the tip hit a wall. Sam took the opportunity to grab the demon and give a punch to the face. He also took the opportunity to grab the demon’s sword arm and try to bang it out of his hand. His reward though was getting a knee to his gut and shoved hard enough that he skidded across the floor.

Now weaponless, Sam had to fight a demon that was capable of doing anything it chose to and yet he could tell that the demon was holding back. He probably wouldn’t think twice about killing Dean if he thought it could get the result that he wanted. That could probably be used to an advantage. Sam looked to try and find his sword. Finding it, he got to his feet and started to move to get into a position to jump for it.

Ramos hadn’t expected the hunter to dodge but he made up for it by giving him a little flying lesson. He could play with fists if he wanted to but he did have an advantage with a blade. He grinned as he advanced upon Sam and took a swing with his blade which the hunter promptly ducked but allowed Ramos to grab him by his jacket and hurl him into a pile of crates that had been abandoned in the building.

Sam groaned as he landed on the crates. He had been thrown into harder things like tombstones so it was nothing but he did feel a corner dig into his back. That was certainly going to leave a mark but such was the nature of the business that he was in. He slowly got up and nearly stumbled out of the pile of wood and crate filling that was in there. A glance told him that he was close to the blade and he was in enough shadow to probably use to his advantage. It was probably cowardly in appearance but he needed to get to the blade. Seeing the demon walking, he quickly rolled towards the darkened corners and started moving.

Ramos lost sight of Sam the moment he heard the crash of wood. He realized that he may have committed a serious mistake in giving the hunter the advantage of darkness and it didn’t help that there were other stacks of crates offering hiding places. He set out in a systematic search and called out, “Sammy, come out, come out wherever you are. You know that playing hide and seek is not fair.”

Sam leaned up against the wall he had pressed against. He knew that the demon was looking for him and could see him searching. At least he had the advantage in that he was keeping the demon in sight while he moved closer to where the sword was. He didn’t expect to hear the sound of crates being slammed into others. He saw that the demon was trying to draw him out by knocking over possible hiding places. He had to think fast.

Ramos knew that Sam was somewhere in the shadows. He hadn’t tried to escape. He wouldn’t leave his brother behind. Since, as the pathetic cliché went, if Mohammed wouldn’t come to the mountain, he had to make the mountain come to him. He used his abilities to knock over crates that were sure hiding places. He called out, “Come on Sammy. You can’t keep hiding forever. Think about what big brother Dean would say if he saw you playing hide and seek.”

“He taught me that game.”

Ramos paused to assess which direction the voice had come from. His eyes darted back and forth. He thought he heard something and turned towards the sound. He rounded some crates where he had heard some noise and whipped around to find nothing there. He then rolled his eyes and said, “Find have it your way. I never expected to find that a Winchester would be that afraid to stand up to a demon.”

A loud crash sounded and Ramos turned towards the source. He saw that Lenya had been thrown with excessive force backwards and she had crashed to the ground. He saw the Chaser bitch advancing towards her with a determined stride. Unfortunately the distraction cost him. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain enter his back and pass through his torso. He looked down to find the tip of the Orion blade sticking out and felt the familiar burn as the wound began to spark.

Sam had used the distraction to double back and move towards the sword. The crash of the other fight in the room provided enough distraction for him to sneak up on the demon and run him through. He replied, “I’m not afraid of you.” He then pulled the blade out and stood to watch the demon turn to look at him.

Ramos turned to look at Sam. He never thought that he would be beaten by a pathetic meat suit. Then again he was one of Azazel’s kids. Perhaps there was more to him than meets the eye. He replied, “Well played Sam,” and collapsed.

Sam felt the tension leave and he took a deep breath. He noticed his brother starting to stir and started to run towards him. “Dean.” He was not even halfway when he felt himself being lifted off his feet and flung into a wall and was suspended. He grunted as he felt the familiar tightening in the chest, like his lungs were being squeezed out.

****

Angela had narrowed her eyes as she looked Lenya in the eye. She was not giving into that again. The smell was overpowering but she resisted by reaching deep down. She had never put everything into it except maybe once and that was at the Point. She willed her inhibitions to be released and summoned her power.

It hummed through her blood. She gave a purposeful smile and said, “And that will be a cold day in hell.” Her body quivered as she used her physical strength to push against Lenya but she put a little more into it. She then gave a growl that turned into a yell and let it out.

Lenya didn’t expect that maneuver as she was blasted through the air and into the wall causing a dent. She had dropped the knife along the way but she held her own weapons. She looked at her person and then up at little sister who was leaning against the wall opposite her. She was breathing heavily and had an unusual glint in her eyes. Had little sister finally let down the barriers? She stood up and dusted herself off and said, “Seems like you’ve picked up a few habits.”

Angela stood away from the wall and advanced. She reached out and summoned Absolution. It sailed to her hand effortlessly. She replied, “Nothing that I couldn’t do before. I just chose not to.”

Lenya slowly smiled. She had always known that little sister was reluctant to use what was rightfully hers. If she did, she got by on the minimum and that had been enough to earn the reputation she had amongst the scrap pickers out there as well as the hunters that dotted the world. She maneuvered her blades into her hands and held them up in a fighting stance. “Shall we see those in action?”

Angela knew that there was no going back now. She had to use what she let go. She twirled Absolution and stood in her own attack posture. “Whatever you say Queen Bitch.”

Lenya smiled and then launched her attack. Her blades clanged against little sister’s causing a few sparks and smoke. It was exciting to Lenya as she swung. She got lucky and backhanded little sister with the hilt of one of her blades. It was hard enough to spin her around allowing Lenya to grab Angela from behind in a chokehold. Lenya started to apply pressure on the windpipe but was met with a knee to her face.

Angela rarely exhibited her ability to perform maneuvers that would be best suited for, in Dean’s case, a gung ho cheerleader. It was pure reaction to the chokehold as she brought her leg up and kneed Lenya in the face. She broke free and whirled around to strike with a blow. She wasn’t surprised that Lenya countered with a block and she jumped back to avoid the swipe from the free blade and blocked with her blade.

The maneuver caused Angela to lose her balance and she fell back on the ground. She rolled out of the way and flipped forward to get back up. She was pulling out all the stops on this one. She stepped up her game and went on the offensive thoroughly confusing Lenya. She clanged the blades few times more before she got in a strike that left a nice gash on Lenya’s right cheek. She gave a wry smile as she looked at the stunned expression on Lenya’s face. Usually she went for the kill zones but she wanted to give insult to injury and let the hell bitch know she was not laying down any more.

Lenya looked at Angela stunned that little sister went for the face. She put a hand up to her cheek and when her fingers came away, there was blood. Little sister never went for a scratch. She went for the kill. For the first time, Lenya was worried and scared. As much as she wanted little sister to grow up, she didn’t like the fact that it was being used against her. She glanced over at the door that led the way to freedom. Uncle would forgive her for running away and possibly be happy about what happened. Not debating anymore, she looked at little sister in the eye and then took off towards the door.

Angela gave chase after Lenya and actually collided with her and they crashed through the thin wall. They rolled along the ground much like a cat fight but Lenya managed to get to her feet after pushing Angela away. Angela rolled to a standing position.  She was tired and achy but she would be damned if she let Lenya get away again. She was going to end it. She taunted, “Afraid to actually lose for once?”

Lenya had to bluff her way out of this. She then saw an opportunity. She saw Sam as he finished off his opponent. She had one last card and she knew that little sister wouldn’t be able to resist at all. She managed to get back her playful little girl smile and she started laughing. She replied, “I’m not afraid of you little sister. You always were the weaker of us when we used to have fun together.”

Angela narrowed her eyes at Lenya. Something was up and it started the moment Lenya started laughing. She had started to advance towards the hell bitch but stopped when she started laughing. When Lenya laughed that meant that she was going to try something. She retorted, “That was not fun.”

“And yet you enjoyed it little sister. Or did you already forget?”

Angela hadn’t forgotten. It tore at her every day if she stopped to truly think about it. It was a part of her and she didn’t deny it but that didn’t stop the feelings of guilt, shame and self loathing. She narrowed her eyes in anger as she searched Lenya’s face for any sign of her intentions. She then noticed the cut on her cheek. It wasn’t a deep cut but because it was Absolution that did the cutting, there was going to be a scar. Angela knew that one of Lenya’s biggest fault was her vanity and she had seen that when she knifed her earlier. She had an inkling that Lenya would be even more pissed that her face was marred. It was worth a shot and worth the pain as long as it revealed her intentions. She replied, “I haven’t forgotten and it is a scar… much like the one I gave your pretty ugly face.”

It was pure reaction for Lenya to put her hand up to the cut that little sister had given her. Feeling the clotted blood on her cheek, she narrowed her eyes in anger. Her beautiful face had been ruined and by that little pike that little sister carried around. She felt her chest heave in anger as she replied, “You ruined the most beautiful face in the world little sister. That is a mistake that I will never forgive.”

“Good because you will receive absolution in hell.”

Even in her rage, Lenya was a calculating demon. She looked to see Sam running towards his brother who was starting to stir. There was still one ace up her sleeve and she wouldn’t hesitate to use it. She replied, “Not before I have you punished for what you’ve done little sister.” She then motioned with her hand in a sharp move to her right.

Angela watched and followed the movement to see Sam being grabbed by an invisible force and flung half way across the room to be pinned to the wall on her right. She started towards him to try and get him down, “Sam!”

“Stop right there little sister,” Lenya said holding up a hand in a warning gesture. “One wrong step and I could ‘test’ the limits of Uncle’s orders like this…” She rotated her wrist and Sam started to grunt as if someone were pulling on his lungs.

Angela paused in her movements. She had to do something otherwise Lenya could seriously harm Sam and she knew that Dean would probably never forgive her if she let that happen on purpose. She put up her hands and said, “Stop, Lenya. What do you want?”

Lenya now had back her bitch toy. She knew that little sister would do anything and even die for the Winchesters out of some pathetic sense of loyalty to their father. All she had to do was give the right squeeze. She lessened the twist of her hand and Sam’s body went lax. She replied, “That’s better. What I want is for you to play along a little more while I take my leave.”

Angela glanced at Sam. She knew what Lenya was asking her to do. She was to choose: either let her go and save Sam or chase after her and Sam could end up maimed or possibly dead. Knowing she wouldn’t choose the latter, she still paused as if in thought. She could try to counter Lenya’s hold on Sam but she was drained. Even if she could, her reflexes wouldn’t be fast enough to stop Lenya from doing anything. She asked the difficult question, “If I let you live, will you keep your word?”

Lenya laughed as if little sister were stupid. “Of course. I always do.”

“That’s debatable,” Angela replied. She looked at Sam who watching her make her decision. He managed to choke her name and nothing more for Lenya twisted her wrist and his body went rigid. She said, “Fine. Leave hell bitch. Just let him go.”

Lenya smiled as she started towards the door. She knew that little sister would fold. She always did. Just before she left, she added insult to injury by making Sam jerk forward to land on the ground. She laughed as she left. The bigger game had been set in motion. Uncle would be pleased.

Angela managed to soften the blow with whatever juice she had left so that Sam made an ‘oof’ sound. She ran over and asked him if he was fine. His response was typical as she checked on Dean. Glancing at the way Lenya left, she narrowed her eyes. “One day hell bitch. One day.”


	18. Chapter 18

Sam watched as his brother made his way back to the hotel ahead of them. Dean seemed to be okay albeit in a bit of a temper that a demon got the drop on him. His reaction to seeing Sam hovering over him was typical, “Stop mothering me Sasquatch. You’re already a bitch I don’t need you being more of pansy.”

Sam replied in his usual fashion, “Fine, jerk.” That was before he got a punch across the jaw. He frowned at Dean and asked, “Dude, what the hell was that for?”

Dean looked a little puzzled by the question but it was his version of the ‘duh’ look. He then rolled his eyes and replied, “Payback, bitch.”

“For kicking your ass? Dean you were trumped up on whatever that rage demon did.” Sam rubbed his jaw as he stood up. He gave his brother a hand as he frowned. Perhaps it took a while for the effects to wear off. He glanced at Angela who stood a few paces away watching with a thoughtful expression.

Dean started walking towards a door and said, “Well come on Sammy. I need a drink and a bed.”

Sam looked over at Angela and gave a slight shrug while she raised her brow watching his brother. He followed as she trailed after Dean stopping only to pick up the bloody knife that Lenya had discarded or rather dropped. He watched as she stared at the blood still on it for a moment before she made a motion to fling off the excess blood and put it in its case on her belt. It was something to think about and ask later if there was a chance.

“Sam, hurry it up before I beat your ass.”

Sam rolled his eyes as he hurried to catch up. If anything he was going to have to find something to keep Dean distracted while the… whatever it was that he got tangled in wore off. Dean was still a few paces ahead when he caught up with Angela. He asked, “How long till he becomes… normal?”

“No idea,” Angela replied as she kept her gaze towards Dean. She had been watching Dean ever since he woke up from being passed out. The guilty look that Sam threw her when she started a visual inspection of both boys told her that he had used the chokehold. She had given a small smile of reassurance as she took a step back. Watching Dean she had a prickle go down her spine. Still it was probably nothing. “More likely a wait and see,” she added.

Sam frowned and looked towards his brother. He almost stopped when Dean suddenly turned around. He became wary about what he was going to say since part of his brother’s behavior seemed to have started when he saw him and Angela walking and talking together.

“Hey are you two going get a move on? I swear you two are slowpokes.”

Sam looked at Angela and started walking forward. He replied, “Eat me, jerk.”

“Back at you, bitch.”

Sam glanced again at Angela and she gave a slight nod. They both stepped up the pace until they caught up to a waiting Dean. Angela though slipped to the back to allow the brothers to walk together. Her movements were subtle enough and barely noticed.

Meanwhile, Sam kept pace with his brother and asked, “You feeling better Dean?”

“No,” Dean replied in a gruff voice. “I seriously need a drink. Maybe half a dozen.”

“Okay but I seriously think you need to…”

“Don’t say it, Sam,” Dean replied. He held up his finger to stop Sam from talking. “I don’t need you mothering me, Samantha.”

Sam rolled his eyes. Dean never missed a chance to feminize his name at any given opportunity that he perceived that he was being a girl. That sounded normal to Sam but then he noticed that Angela had hung back a little again. He began to suspect that she was just being cautious about the whole thing but then the ridiculous thought that she was scared of Dean entered his head and he brushed it off as ridiculous.

Angela notice Sam looking back at her and she mouthed that she was fine and motioned for him to keep interacting with Dean. Something was bothering her about the whole thing. Lenya leaving in the middle of one of her games was a rare thing and if she did, there was something else attached to it. She could brush it off as paranoia and she had been on a high alert, reducing her sleep intake drastically and all because of a crazy like Gordon Walker.

“You all right?”

Angela realized that Sam was talking to her. She replied, “Just making sure of something.”

“You think that something is still here,” Sam replied in a whisper. He didn’t want Dean to overhear their conversation since he was pretty near. Sam could whisper and know that Angela would be able to hear every word.

“That’s the problem. I don’t know,” Angela replied. She looked towards the east to see the sun starting to rise. They had been out all night. At that moment she felt a yawn threaten but she stifled it. Maybe she was making too much of a big deal over this. “I might be mistaken over this.”

Sam gave a look as he watched Angela. As far as he knew, her instincts were dead on when it concerned the supernatural. For her to admit that she might be wrong was akin to Dean eating a salad and it just didn’t seem right. He didn’t have to voice his thoughts or the question that was on the tip of his tongue. She explained, “I’m used to expecting something to jump out at any given moment especially where… Lenya is concerned.”

“Fair enough,” Sam replied. He had seen the demon bitch up close and had been at her mercy. When Angela made the bargain to let her go in exchange for him to be released, he had a moment of questioning Angela’s judgment. Having time to think about it, he was willing to concede that he didn’t know the demon as well as Angela did. He was just glad that Dean was still groggy during the whole thing to pay attention to the whole exchange. He could see how it could easily be mistaken that she made a deal with a demon even though the binding ritual had not been performed.

“I think lack of sleep is catching up with me. Maybe it would be a good idea if we stayed at least a day.”

“That’s all right by me Angie. I didn’t want you driving my baby if you were sleep deprived.”

Angela bit her lip before replying in a playful tone, “Not before I give her a spit and shine. The gleaming black beauty needs to look her best.”

Sam couldn’t help but give an eye roll before giving a smirk in Angela’s direction. She was as bad as his brother and judging from the smirk his brother was giving back, it looked like things were going to be all right. He said, “Well it couldn’t hurt.”

Dean grinned, “Plenty of time to stock up on pie. Could I convince you make one?”

Angela couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Maybe.” She then noticed that they were near the store. She decided to pay a visit and check up on the girl and her grandmother. Plus she wanted to see the baby again. She said, “You know, I need to check up on something and return something I borrowed.” She gave a slight motion with her eyes at Sam.

Sam understood and said, “Okay. We’ll meet you at the motel. Come on Dean. The sooner we get all this back in the room the better.” He motioned towards the blade in his hand and led Dean back towards the motel.

Angela gave a slight smile as she watched the brothers walk. She headed towards the store and opened the door to find her old friend there. She smiled and said, “Glad to see that you still know how to make an entrance.”

****

Natalia looked out at the morning sun that threatened to break the gentle calm of night. In a way it was like the washing away of everything bad that had happened in town. After Austin had sent Clare to wherever he did with that incantation, the people that had been attacking them started to wake up. Some of them were confused and she had been hard put to come up with a convincing story. It was Austin though who grabbed their attention and in a silvery voice, he managed to convince them that they had too much fun at a neighborhood block party and that they had gotten drunk. It certainly allowed for the explanation of the few dead bodies.

Afterwards they left even though Natalia thought that they should at least look for Angela. Austin said that she was not to worry and that she would find them. At first Natalia wasn’t sure of whether or not to take him at his word but then she remembered how they interacted when he crashed in or dropped in as he said. She acquiesced and allowed him to escort her back to the store.

Nana was wise awake when she walked in and Natalia couldn’t help but hug her when she saw that she was all right.

“Courage found you.”

It was a double meaning and Natalia understood right away. It was true that Angela had found her but she also discovered her abilities. How much of it was influenced by her heritage since she knew that Nana was a follower of the old ways and how much of it was of whatever those monsters wanted, she wasn’t sure. It was something that would have to be explored with. She replied, “Courage did.”

Nana looked over at Austin who was looking out the glass of the door and debating on whether or not to go or stay.  She said, “Good boy you are.”

Austin shuffled his feet slightly as he played with the amulet in his pocket. He found it amusing that the old woman called him a boy since he was more likely older than she was. Like others of his kind, he just didn’t look his age though there were some that you could tell were very old. He gave a slight grin and replied, “That I try to be.”

Nana gave one of her rare smiles which surprised Natalia. Few men earned that smile of approval from her grandmother and she figured that it had something to do with the fact that Austin was not a typical human. That much she knew given the things she saw in that old building. Anything else, he wasn’t in the mood to tell or she hadn’t asked the right questions. She asked him, “So what now?”

That was the million dollar question Austin had to answer as he watched the sunrise. It was true that he had done what he was ordered to do and find out about the girl. He had his report to send in which he could do after he got back to the ranch. Well until he got word that he was to come back, he could stay. That would give him the opportunity to teach the girl a few things and he didn’t have to worry about teaching his classes at the academy.

Natalia watched as he debated something in his mind. With everything that had been going on, she was surprised that he was holding out. Then again some of the things she had seen could be chalked up to crazy and she did think she was going crazy for a while until she realized that her visions of the animals were actual people. She then said, “Okay let me pose an easier question: are you going to leave now that everything is over?”

Austin glanced down at the girl. The old woman had left to go to the back. He suspected that it was for the baby that had just woken up. He had heard the kid started to move after the old woman talked to him. He replied, “No idea. I was sent here and I technically finished.”

“So you will be moving on.”

“Probably not considering everything that has been going on and the interest the demons have in you.” Austin peered out of the window as if to see if there were any sign of danger. It was old habits, one he did still even within the boundaries of the academy and that place could become a fortress if necessary.

“Nana’s done a pretty good job so far.”

Austin glanced around and noticed sigils all over the place. He also couldn’t get over that knowing she gave every time she looked at him. It was like she had known what he was the moment she saw him and still allowed him to wander about freely. It was like Old Man Johnson after he tried to stop him from leaving until he explained himself. He allowed, “Yeah seems like it. I guess you can’t beat the old ways can you?”

“Are you always this glib when talking about… this?” Natalia gave a short wave of her hands to emphasize her point.

“Usually am. It’s a talent,” Austin replied. He could tell by the sun that it was now a decent hour to send in what he needed. He pulled out his cell phone and began tapping the keys rapidly. It would have to be what the human kids called text meaning in short hand. That didn’t matter since he wasn’t creative with symbols anyway.

Natalia watched as he tapped on the keys rapidly. She countered, “Seems to me that if you spent more time fighting than talking…” She trailed off on purpose.

Austin clicked his cell phone shut. People were always telling him that and that was a sign that his camouflage was working. He was not taken seriously by his lackadaisical manner at times. The demon chick even said that as much. To him though it was a mode of survival. It made him appear as a non-threat. He said as much, “It’s a tool.”

“Fair enough. So whatever what it is you sent will determine where you go?”

“More or less.”

Natalia nodded and went to the back to take care of the baby and do some other things before Nana chased her to bed. She was pumped full of energy after the night’s ‘excitement’ and she needed to do something. She would go to bed when the crash came and she was sure of it. She was surprised that Nana had already put on the pot of coffee and it was brewing. She walked out to ask, “Hey, you want some coffee?”

Standing there with Austin was Angela and they appeared to be deep in discussion over something. Her interruption didn’t cause them to jump. It was almost as if they expected it. Natalia apologized for interrupting but Angela said, “No worries. I came to make sure that you made it back okay.”

“I’m fine,” Natalia replied. “Your friend has an interesting fighting style.”

Angela gave a slight laugh. She replied, “You don’t have to be polite about it. I know his style well. We’re old friends.” She then cleared her throat to get the last of the chuckles out before continuing, “Now that things are more or less back to normal, my friends and I are going to head out either later today or tomorrow and I just wanted to say good bye and thank your grandmother.”

“Nana? Natalia asked. She knew that Angela had spent a few moments alone with her grandmother so she was not sure what could have happened in that short time span.

Angela held up the pendant that had the eagle on it clear as day. “Just thanking her for this. You can even say that the healer sends her thanks.” She gave a wry grin to show that she was joking. She made to leave.

Natalia was surprised that her grandmother gave Angela one of those pendants but then again she was not surprised. There always was a purpose for things. She also realized that she didn’t want her to leave just yet since she hadn’t thanked her properly for helping her baby. She said, “Wait, you want to stay and have some coffee?” She offered a genuine friendly smile.

Angela looked at the girl and smiled, “Alright.”

Natalia went to the back and poured three cups of coffee. As soon as she brought them in, she started on the questioning. She was surprised that they were willing to talk. It was Angela who told her that it was a demon that took her but said that she was right in calling them monsters. Austin made a joke about judging a book by its cover. They stayed talking until the coffee pot was drained dry and Natalia was yawning. Austin and Angela took the hint and said that they needed to go.

Natalia escorted them to the door. Before she left, Angela asked to say good bye to Jerry. Natalia couldn’t refuse. She had much to thank the woman before her for. So she let her say good bye and showed her out. She watched as the pair separated, Austin heading towards Old Mad Johnson’s place and Angela heading towards town. She wondered if she would see them again.

****

It was pushing ten o’clock by the time Angela made it back to the motel. It had been a long and trying night and she was ready to jump into bed for some shut eye. She managed to stop by the mini mart and purchase a nice supply of the fifty cent whores that usually quenched Dean’s appetite for pie. What was even more surprising was that she managed to find the supplies she used when she made a pie. At least that which needed to be purchased as needed like milk and such.

As she wandered down the aisles, she thought about the journey ahead. She was going to have to eventually tell Dean what she told Sam… about meeting their father and eventually what he made her promise to do. She was certain that it would take a while for the truth to be digested by Dean especially after what he had been through which was why she was going to wait for at least a day. Even though Dean appeared to be his usually self, old habits die hard.

Her phone rang and she answered it. “Hello?”

_I heard that you had a good hunt._

Angela gave a tired smile as she carried her purchases to the counter. She sorted them out and waited while the cashier rang her up. “Yeah. See, I told you that there was a chance.” Her voice carried a teasing note.

_Yeah after a proposal of stupidity. You know you are one crazy gal._

“Glad to see I still have a place within your affections, Bobby.”

_Go climb up a tree._

“Been there. Done that,” Angela replied as she counted out the amount due. She handed it to the cashier and waited for her change. She glanced out the glass doors and noticed that things were pretty much getting back to normal. There were people walking about and she was sure that she saw a few that had been enthralled by the rage demon walking about. She figured that Austin must have used his silver tongue to convince them of something far from the truth. She collected her change and put her arm through the handles of the plastic bag and walked out the door. “I suppose you want to know about Dean?”

_That would be a start. I tried called both him and Sam but nothing. You need to tell them idjits to check their damned voicemail._

“I ain’t their mother, Bobby,” Angela replied teasing Bobby by imitating the tone of his voice. She knew that it would spark a response out of him.

_Don’t sass me young lady._

Angela couldn’t help but laugh. When she first met Bobby, her greeting was one of being tested by the usual methods even though Sam and Dean vouched for her. After that, he treated her like how boys were taught how to treat girls… back in Bobby’s day when he was young. He called her a young lady half the time even though she was _way_ older than he was. It was a source of amusement for the boys because it was like watching two grumpy old folks even though one didn’t look like it. She replied, “Keep that trucker hat on. Maybe you’ll catch a date.”

_Lil sassy minx._

Angela continued to laugh. She had never met anyone like Bobby Singer before and she had met quite a few people. Bobby was one of those rare ones after the initial caution that accepted her completely… much like Mary. She replied, “It was as suspected. The demon had captured Dean and we found another like Sam.”

_At least ya found the idjit._

“And there were multiple demons and HUIs.”

_HUIs?_

“Humans under the influence. Dean was under the same effect. Sam killed the rage demon and the townspeople went back to normal,” Angela replied as she made it back to the motel. She gave a slight wave to the receptionist out of a polite habit and went in through the main door and down the hall.

_Are you sure about everything being normal? Are you watching Dean at least? These things can be tricky. I’ve been reading a bit more out of that book you mentioned and these things have the ability to create illusions to feed on the emotions they want to exploit._

Angela paused by the door of the boys. She contemplated on knocking to give them the bag of pies. As she listened, she hesitated with her knock. The food could wait. That prickly feeling that she had gotten earlier was starting to rear its head again. She didn’t know that and it was something to think on. She turned away from the door and continued down the hall towards her room. She fished in her pocket for the key. “Sam is keeping an eye on Dean. As to the demon, Sam described its death to me and it’s like the deaths I have been witness to before. Down to the last detail.”

_Alright I believe ya on that. It’s a first for me and it just seems kind of quick for the effects to wear off._

“Well it isn’t Coatoan, Bobby.” Angela managed to open the door and set the back on the nearby table.

_Maybe so but you know better than anyone how the supernatural can be. Just be careful._

Angela gave a slight chuckle as she closed the door of her room. She walked over to where the cheap ass coffeemaker was. It would be sufficient to make hot water for tea. She poured a pot into the hold and put the pot on the heating pad. She replied, “You know me Bobby. Well just a little bit.”

_And that is enough to know ya, sassy minx. I’ll call to check on ya later and ya better answer the phone or so help me…_

“Right. You’ll give me the third degree,” Angela replied as she flipped the switch to turn the pot on. She pulled out a few tea bags from the small bag that she kept in her duffle. “Keep your flannel shirt on old man. I’ll be waiting for your cal.”

_Idjit._

Angela smiled as she heard the click of the phone being hung up. She tossed it on her bed and started to pull out a change of clothes. A shower sounded good about now but a cup of tea first. She started towards the coffeemaker when something hard hit her across the back of her head. She fell forward and hit the ground seeing nothing but darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap for Darkened Rage. I hope you enjoy. Any and all reviews are welcome and stay tuned for the next episode: Dark Secrets.


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